Stays true to the thrash metal sound of the groups’ previous releases

Godless is a steadily growing metal band originating out of India with only three releases so far. The five-man group consists of Kaushal LS on vocals, Moiz Mustafa and Ravi Nidamarthy on guitars, Abbas Razvi on bass and Aniketh Yadav on the drums.

After signing with India-based Transcending Obscurity Records in 2016, Godless released their first album, Centuries of Decadence, that same year. The band followed up with Swarm in 2018, which landed on Rolling Stone India’s 10 Best Indian EPs of 2018. This led to plenty of positive attention, putting Godless at the top of the metal scene in India alongside Demonic Resurrection, Scribe and Inner Sanctum.

With this positive attention, Godless has started to see real prosperity. The band was brought on for slot on the 2017 Indian Leg of the Psycroptic Tour. In 2018, Godless came away victorious at the local Metal Battle India competition and performed at Wacken Open Air in 2018, an esteemed international music festival that takes place once a year.

On November 19th, 2021, the band released their latest album, States of Chaos, a nine-song collection that stays true to the thrash metal sound of the groups’ previous releases.

States of Chaos excels when it comes to its instrumentals. The guitars and drums provide for a thrashy, lightning-fast experience on every single song. Notable tracks include “Visions,” “Netherworld,” “Cormorant” and “Orbits of Decay.” “Netherworld” may be the best track on the entire album, as Mustafa and Nidamarthy conjure up hellish sounds through fast-paced electric guitars, complemented by LS’s deep, demonic vocals.

States of Chaos is straight to the point with its speed and intensity. Every song is rapid-fire, and LS’s vocals express the states of chaos that is the album’s namesake. This makes for a strong album that fits with the group’s reputation for unapologetic, lightning-fast and thrash metal.

The only problem with States of Chaos is its lack of variety. There isn’t much diversity in the instrumentals, making every track sound very similar. This may not be an issue to most listeners, as each track is still nicely put together, but other listeners may opt for a more diverse musical experience. Still, new metal listeners will appreciate the flashy sound of each song.

Longtime metal listeners will appreciate the instrumentals but may appreciate the vocals slightly more. The vocals are difficult to hear at times, but older fans will probably not mind as that may just be what makes metal such an eccentric genre of music.

All in all, States of Chaos is still is a very good album. The vocals are deep and are complimented by flashy, lightning-fast instrumentals that will be very appealing to an older metal fanbase. Although some listeners may wish for more diverse instrumentals, this will likely not be a problem to most listeners as each track provides for an enjoyable listening experience.