Album Review: Chaos Doctrine – Bellum (Self Released)

Johannesburg-based industrialised thrash metal machine Chaos Doctrine’s third album ‘Bellum’ is unleashed on April 26th, 2024, promising to leave scorched earth in its wake.

A promise that is well and truly delivered upon as the thrash mania of Lifting the Veil introduces this head-banger of an album. Chaos Doctrine come screaming out of the gates with a wild guitar solo and percussion that just slams. Technically sound and addictively heavy, industrial elements add more layers before the most brutalising of vocal performances arrive.

It’s one hell of a beastly introduction, but Chaos Doctrine’s bite is far worse than their bark, and they’re looking to rip you apart here. First by clamping down savagely with the experimental groove of Trial, a track with a twist that changes the tone unexpectedly. Then by tearing through the soft bits of the body with the rampaging industrialised garishness of Building the Ultimate Tank.

If you like your metal to sound like its ready for a fight, you’re then going to love One of My Bad Days. A manic and maddening showcase of speed and heaviness. It’s a raging ball of brutality, proving once again to be undeniably anthemic head-banging gold.

The heavy continues with great aplomb as The Destroyer and Martyr comes crashing down with esoteric effects, thumping thrashiness, deliciously dark vibes, and massive melodic moments. Both tracks are steeped in atmosphere, both equally epic sounding, but from very different directions. Chaos Doctrine have a lot of imagination, and you can really feel it here.

To have tracks like this, and then have something like Heretic, it’s night and day. Here, they go ‘hell for leather’ with an intense thrash-focused track. Delivering a frenzied head-banger that hits with a ton of heavy force. Following that up with a horror vibe that is much more industrial focused. Props for sampling Silent Hill at the start too, which just makes the experience all the more disconcerting.

How do Chaos Doctrine wrap things up? By delivering something that encapsulates their creativity perfectly. It’s called CiviLIESation and it showcases the grim and heavy industrial aspects of the band, alongside the threatening atmosphere and the unrelenting thrashy groove that makes them so exciting.

There is a bonus track though, and it’s Chaos Doctrine having some fun with a Pink Floyd cover, specifically a medley of moments from The Wall. Is it necessary listening? Of course not, the main bulk of the album has more than delivered, but there’s nothing not to enjoy here, especially as Chaos Doctrine give the cover treatment lots of love.

Chaos Doctrine – Bellum Track Listing:

1. Lifting the Veil
2. Trial
3. Building the Ultimate Tank
4. One of My Bad Days
5. The Destroyer
6. Martyr
7. Heretic
8. 86
9. CiviLIESation
10. The Wall Medley (Bonus Track – Pink Floyd Cover)

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