Review by Michael on September 12, 2026.

Viva la revolución! Chilean thrashers Critical Defiance are back with a vengeance with their fourth studio album, "Rivers Of Blood". The title sounds really brutal and furious, and so is the album.

Starting with an almost tender intro, sounding sort of like Greek goddesses playing harps, the title is already levitating over the listener's head – "Red Omen." And when the storm sets in, we can already anticipate what is yet to come.

Brutal thrash without any compromises follows for the next half an hour. "Innate To Kill" is a breathtaking lesson in violence (sorry for the pun) that makes us forget the latest "thrash" releases by the greats such as Exodus, Sodom, or Kreator. This is what thrash metal was originally meant to be. Aggressive, yet still melodic, just a smash straight into your face. Aaarrgghhhh!!!!

Vocalist Felipe sounds like an unleashed nightmare from hell, gurgling and screaming his way through the seven songs. He is really delivering an insane vocal performance here. The instrumental skills are equally extraordinary and impressive. Despite the sheer brutality, there are plenty of hooks, short solos, and nuances that make it fun to listen to.

What I personally appreciate very much are the acoustic parts the guys have woven into their songs, like at the end of "The Feeling Destroyer" or in the furious "Valparaíso," which, with a running time of almost eight minutes, is the longest track and deals with the bloody history of the Chilean city.

"Dead Tongues" begins with some gloomy tunes before turning into a whirlwind of daggers stabbing into your body. That track is a sheer thrash inferno without any breaks. If Slayer's "Reign in Blood" was fast, I might even say this is "Reign in Blood" on speed.

Even when they slow things down, as in "Rivers Of Blood," Critical Defiance still remain super brutal because of the dense riffing and hateful vocals. The female, almost whispered vocals don't spoil that at all. And this really makes a difference compared to a lot of thrash releases that have come out lately. Keeping their authenticity alive is something many bands have lost during their careers. Fortunately, Critical Defiance haven't.

After another short instrumental, "Ceremony Of The Final Call," the guys unfortunately arrive at the banks of the "Rivers Of Blood" with "Glorify War." Many other releases have put some relaxing stuff at the end of their albums, but not Critical Defiance. This is another fast track with some almost death-metal-like tuned guitars, again accompanied by some acoustic sounds and some really cool twists.

While the previous Critical Defiance albums were already quite good, this is their pinnacle so far. And compared to the old heroes, who are without doubt huge role models for them, the Chileans are miles ahead and would win every competition. Now the world needs another Mayhemic release this year, so my thirst for superb thrash metal can be quenched for some time.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Review by Michael on September 12, 2026.

Viva la revolución! Chilean thrashers Critical Defiance are back with a vengeance with their fourth studio album, "Rivers Of Blood". The title sounds really brutal and furious, and so is the album.

Starting with an almost tender intro, sounding sort of like Greek goddesses playing harps, the title is already levitating over the listener's head – "Red Omen." And when the storm sets in, we can already anticipate what is yet to come.

Brutal thrash without any compromises follows for the next half an hour. "Innate To Kill" is a breathtaking lesson in violence (sorry for the pun) that makes us forget the latest "thrash" releases by the greats such as Exodus, Sodom, or Kreator. This is what thrash metal was originally meant to be. Aggressive, yet still melodic, just a smash straight into your face. Aaarrgghhhh!!!!

Vocalist Felipe sounds like an unleashed nightmare from hell, gurgling and screaming his way through the seven songs. He is really delivering an insane vocal performance here. The instrumental skills are equally extraordinary and impressive. Despite the sheer brutality, there are plenty of hooks, short solos, and nuances that make it fun to listen to.

What I personally appreciate very much are the acoustic parts the guys have woven into their songs, like at the end of "The Feeling Destroyer" or in the furious "Valparaíso," which, with a running time of almost eight minutes, is the longest track and deals with the bloody history of the Chilean city.

"Dead Tongues" begins with some gloomy tunes before turning into a whirlwind of daggers stabbing into your body. That track is a sheer thrash inferno without any breaks. If Slayer's "Reign in Blood" was fast, I might even say this is "Reign in Blood" on speed.

Even when they slow things down, as in "Rivers Of Blood," Critical Defiance still remain super brutal because of the dense riffing and hateful vocals. The female, almost whispered vocals don't spoil that at all. And this really makes a difference compared to a lot of thrash releases that have come out lately. Keeping their authenticity alive is something many bands have lost during their careers. Fortunately, Critical Defiance haven't.

After another short instrumental, "Ceremony Of The Final Call," the guys unfortunately arrive at the banks of the "Rivers Of Blood" with "Glorify War." Many other releases have put some relaxing stuff at the end of their albums, but not Critical Defiance. This is another fast track with some almost death-metal-like tuned guitars, again accompanied by some acoustic sounds and some really cool twists.

While the previous Critical Defiance albums were already quite good, this is their pinnacle so far. And compared to the old heroes, who are without doubt huge role models for them, the Chileans are miles ahead and would win every competition. Now the world needs another Mayhemic release this year, so my thirst for superb thrash metal can be quenched for some time.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10