Chronic Atrocity was a victim of circumstance. They were a thrash metal band from Los Angeles that formed just as the thrash metal craze was ending. They recorded only one demo called Kingdom of the Damned, and after seeing that there was no market for their work, they broke up soon thereafter. It's a shame, because these guys had some skill.
The production is kind of muffled, but it's not atrocious. I can still make out everything just fine. As for the music, it draws heavily from Metallica. As such, they focus less on blinding speed and more on creating infectious mid-paced rhythms. The drums utilize a great deal of cymbal work, the snare is rather prominent, and they also make sure to throw in plenty of great fills. The bass mainly follows the guitars, but they do show up on occasion and do some great tricks.
The vocals sound like a gruffer James Hetfield. I love 'em. What I love even more are the guitars. As I said before, their primary focus is creating a lot of infectious mid-paced rhythms, and they do a great job with that. They also make sure to include a few blazing solos when the time feels right. I can't really find anything to bitch about on this album. The musicianship is great and the riffs are totally infectious. If I had to nitpick, the intro is too long. It would have been better if there was no intro at all and they just jumped right into the music.
Overall, this was a fantastic thrash metal demo filled with awesome riffs and Metallica-worshiping vocals. It's a shame they never made anything else. Unlike most of the other bands I listened to, these guys actually had some skill.
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