It sounds like your first time listening to Slayer, every time. That’s the most succinct way to describe Toronto-based thrash outfit Korrosive’s recently released third studio album, Katastrophic Creation. They dub their mix of thick and dissonant guitar riffage, blistering solos, blast beats and breakdowns “kaustic” thrash metal. Strip away the branding, and it’s a sound that hearkens back to the 1980’s Californian underground while retaining all the freshness and heaviness you would expect of a contemporary act. 

Korrosive show what they’re all about on the opening track, “In The Name of Destruction.” Brutal chugging and sinister leads underneath Rad Zarei’s mid-range growling anchor the evolved sound that permeates Katastrophic Creation. A downright headbanger of a breakdown and two guitar solos complete with screaming squeals a la Kerry King round out the song. Those lead efforts teem with a quality this album has in droves: the unadulterated joy of thrash. It’s clear Korrosive had a blast making Katastrophic Creation, as each track is imbued with the ecstasy of flailing your locks around and going hog wild on a Gibson Explorer.

Katastrophic Creation touches on all of the classic themes of thrash: death, fire, apocalypse, and nuclear warfare. These feature especially heavily on tracks such as “Nuclear Awakening” and “Ashes from Atomic Dust.” The former of the two features a portentous natural harmonic slide motif, suggesting sirens blaring as Korrosive’s Doomguy-esque mascot bears witness to warheads ripping across the heavens. A rotation of crushingly ferocious grooves and steamroller double-kick lines keep the nearly seven-minute long track from being tiring.

Not boxing themselves into the unserious party-hard thrash revivalist label, Korrosive touch on some socially conscious topics on their new release. As described in an in-house interview, drummer Kaveh Afshar immigrated to Canada from Tehran in 2001. His move was spurred by Iran’s reform movements falling short and an ultra-religious fundamentalist countercurrent developing in the country (sound familiar?). The many attempts to resist authoritarianism in Iran, most recently seen during the Mahsa Amini protests, inspired Afshar to write the fifth track of Katastrophic Creation, “Imam Immolation” (or امام در آتش, as it is titled in Farsi on non-streaming releases). The song depicts an eventual successful uprising against oppressive hyperreligiosity in Iran, and acts as a successor to Korrosive’s anti-theocratic mainstay “Slaughter the Preacher,” from which it co-opts some lyrics. “Imam Immolation” melds quintessential extreme metal formulas with a host of Iranian influence, with an opening riff akin to a traditional Persian gusheh, alongside lyrical references to the Iranian national epic the Shahnameh. It also features a chorus sung in Farsi that is translated as “they set fire upon tyrants/wash away the filth with blood/no escape from war and struggle/lion’s den is no place for jackals.” Afshar’s brainchild serves to promote awareness of a sorely underpublicized issue, as I was admittedly unaware of the intricacies of theocratic oppression in Iran prior to researching for this review.

As much as they lean on the metal backbone of overdriven guitars, pounding drums, and growling vocals, Katastrophic Creation proves Korrosive capable of some timbral variety. In the midst of a groovy 12/8 verse-chorus loop, “Under A Vicious Sky” sports an acoustic break. The bridge, which features a chromatic steel-string passage receiving an evil harmonization before a haunting lute-esque lead is added overtop, offers welcome compositional complexity from songwriters Jack Neila and Derek Solomos. Not to say that Korrosive is coming out with a prog album any time soon, but the better part of two years that were spent making Katastrophic Creation are evident in its meticulous construction. The album’s artwork, inspired by Michelangelo’s iconic fresco “The Creation of Adam,” supplement the polish of Korrosive’s work in painting them as more than some neighbourhood garage band.

If you’re looking for some well-crafted classic thrash metal with an extra dose of heaviness, Katastrophic Creation is well worth a listen. The sheer vigour and passion behind the record shine through crystal clear, with each track another buzzsaw zipping with ardour. In an era without a true figurehead of thrash, it’s killer to see such a well-rounded tape come from so closeby. Expect more quality offerings from the hometown Korrosive in 2025 and beyond.