(written by Islander)
As their name suggests, the Costa Rican band Bothrash originally rooted their music in traditional thrash metal after the band’s founding by by John Snake and Minor Picado in 2013. But over the following years and across the course of five albums they have turned their music in darker and more aggressive directions.
As reflected in their forthcoming sixth album Almas Poseídas, the music can now be referred to as a style of vicious black/thrash (albeit with atmospheric elements as well). And while the band have delved into inspirations spawned by horror and occult themes, the new album (as described by the band’s labels) “also incorporates strong elements of social criticism”.
Those labels — GrimmDistribution (Ukraine) and Sanatorio Records (Costa Rica) — will release the new record on July 19th, and today we reveal its multifaceted second single, “Escape Mortal“.
One immediate clue that “Escape Mortal” isn’t straight-forward old-school trash is its length — 7 1/2 minutes. That gives Bothrash room to maneuver, and indeed they do.
Although the band’s rhythm section quickly create a catchy rocking groove, the initial riffing seems to crawl as it creates a deeply dismal mood. But as the heavily clanging bass and skull-snapping drums begin to pick up the pace, the riffing also morphs into more feverishly agonized sensations, and the guitars then seem to grievously wail and moan.
Following a convulsive guitar bridge the drums finally kick into a hammering gallop and the riffing generates a blaring and head-hooking pulse, setting the stage for vicious, scalding, rabidly barking vocals. The tremolo’d riffing also creates feelings of cold cruelty and dark peril in the midst of the racing, swarming, and manically pulsating mayhem, while a reptilian guitar solo both frantically shivers and wildly screams.
The bass-work is just as nimble as the riffing, and worth the attention it seizes even as the rest of the band is savagely broiling and battering the listener. Near the end, the music begins settling into a dismal domain again — but what happens in the final minute is a surprise, a piece of elegantly rendered and spellbinding sorcery, the details of which we’ll let you discover for yourselves.
BOTHRASH is:
Kenneth Pérez – vocals
John Snake – guitars
Jos Madrigal – bass
Minor Picado – drums
GrimmDistribution and Sanatoria Records will release Almas Poseídas in a jewel-case CD edition (500 copies) with an 8-page booklet, as well as digitally. Pre-orders can be placed via the links below, and we’ve also included a stream of the album’s first single, “Atrapador de Almas“.
PRE-ORDER:
https://grimmdistribution.bandcamp.com/album/091gd-bothrash-almas-pose-das-2026
https://sanatorio.bandcamp.com/
BOTHRASH:
https://www.facebook.com/bothrashcr
https://instagram.com/bothrashcr
https://bothrash26.bandcamp.com/