Band:	Go Ahead And Die
Album:	Go Ahead And Die
Style:	Groove thrash metal
Release date:	June 2021

01. Truckload Full Of Bodies
02. Toxic Freedom
03. I.C.E. Cage
04. Isolated/Desolated
05. Prophet's Prey
06. Punisher
07. El Cuco
08. G.A.A.D.
09. Worth Less Than Piss
10. (In The) Slaughterline
11. Roadkill

An extreme metal legend, his very talented son, and the drummer of one of the most exciting doom metal bands of recent years walk into a bar?

Go Ahead And Die is the project of Max Cavalera and his son, Igor, that started as an idea around 2017-18 when the former recruited the latter for a number of shows where they played the entire Point Blank album by Nailbomb because Alex Newport was too busy at the time to tour. However, they really became a full band when Zach Coleman of Khemmis fame was chosen to be the band's drummer.

There are some similarities between Nailbomb and Go Ahead And Die; the savage double vocals, the confrontational and political nature of the lyrics, and the angry and spiteful music are common denominators. But this album doesn't present an industrial take on thrash, being rather a death/thrash release with a punk twist, and even touching on grindcore and sludge at times. Bands like Doom, Extreme Noise Terror, and Discharge are unexpected reference points. The guitar sounds like Entombed and the bass has a Shane Embury-esque feel to it. The vocals by the two members of the Cavalera family are abrasive and raw and add an extra layer of nastiness to the already brutal music. Zach Coleman's drumming goes from d-beat to blasting to end-of-the-world death march with extreme ease but it is not a surprise that he nails it in an extreme metal band; he has done it before with Black Curse.

The riffs are simple but they work like a charm. I often hear some Celtic Frost thrown in there - just listen to "Isolated/Desolated". "El Cuco" is treading on Napalm Death's territory and its breakdown at 2'50'' will crack your spine. In general, the combination of speedy assault and groovy chugging is used in many tracks and it works really well, especially in the crushing "Punisher". The album does not do much new music-wise but it is one hell of a ride in terms of heaviness. Another reason for it sounding like an ultra-beating through and through is the fact that the lead guitar does not get much of a place in the sun. The melodic and doomy intro of "G.A.A.D." is an exception and I would have liked more passages like this to offer some variety in the overall result. On the other hand, the bass stands out and I particularly like it when it rises above everything on tracks like "I.C.E. Cage" or "Worth Less Than Piss". The mix by Arthur Rizk is really good for this sort of music, it is gritty, ugly, and totally unrefined.

The lyrics are significantly Igor's work and, as said before, they have a political focus. What Point Blank was for Max's and my generation, Go Ahead And Die can easily be for Igor's generation. For example, "Truckload Full Of Bodies" criticizes the management of the Covid-19 pandemic and "Toxic Freedom" refers to George Floyd, with the line 'Protect your neck' being a subtle nod to Wu-Tang Clan.

Go Ahead And Die is a heavy as hell debut by a band that I really hope will continue to put albums out there and not be a one-off project like Nailbomb was. I came to this with low expectations and I was pleasantly surprised. If you like your thrash to be full of piss and vinegar, running with a bad crowd of proto-death metal and dirty rotten punk, go ahead and check this one out.

"Brainwashed minds
behind every crime
Turn their eyes blind to the grime"