Chaos Doctrine Is Back With A Triad Of Mayhem
Johannesburg’s industrialised thrash metal titans Chaos Doctrine is back with a triple release. An overdue promise ‘The SA-bbath Doctrine Chapter III SA Tribute Mix’. A reimagined track ‘The Rite (Devil Divas and Harps Remix)’ featuring Bronwyn Bing & Craig MacKinnon. And a new track ‘The Rite Verse II’
Photo By Jaco Vermaak
1. A Grand Introduction
Johannesburg’s industrialised thrash metal titans Chaos Doctrine is back with a triple release! Yes, three songs! What? How? Why?
It’s been a while since we heard from these metal veterans. April 2024 saw the release of their third album ‘Bellum’, which was preceded by a campaign that:
• re-introduced us to three singles (‘Lifting the Veil’, the Metal Hammer acclaimed ‘Martyr’, and ‘One of My Bad Days’);
• dropped two cover medleys (the first from Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’, and the second landing two versions of a Black Sabbath Frankenstein);
• presented a new music video for ‘One of My Bad Days’ (by master SA film maker Pierre Smith); and
• unleashed the ripper single called ‘Heretic’.
Since April last year – that is a long time. One would have expected more singles from ‘Bellum’ by now. especially since the album contains a good number more gems that could easily fit the bill. But, in true Chaos Doctrine style, the band steered away from the path well-travelled.
Instead, they bided their time to give us a triple release unlike any other: 1) one track delivering on an overdue promise, 2) one re-imagined track, and 3) one brand new track. All landing at the same time on Friday 28 February 2025.
Pre-Save https://linktr.ee/chaosdoctrine
2. An Overdue Promise: ‘The SA-bbath Doctrine Chapter III SA Tribute Mix’
On 12 April 2024, Chaos Doctrine dropped two versions of a Black Sabbath medley:
• ‘The Sabbath Doctrine Chapter 1: Old School Mix’ – a ‘straight metal’ interpretation of “9 and a half” Sabbath classics
• ‘The Sabbath Doctrine Chapter 2: Chaos Mix’ – a full-throttle industrial remix of ‘Chapter 1’
At the same time, the band promised us ‘Chapter 3’, aptly named ‘The SA-bbath Doctrine: SA Tribute Mix’. Dr D recalls: “While working on Chapters 1 and 2, we thought – what if we get some of our friends from the SA rock and metal scene to lay down vocals with me? This led us down a great path that got amazing vocalists making amazing contributions!”.
Who? You can hear this all-star line-up:
i. Carlos Sanches (Deadline)
ii. Jamie Hendry (Jasper Dan)
iii. Laura Cayzer (Capgras Delusion – also catch this incredible talent on Chaos Doctrine’s ‘Martyr: Jeanne d’Arc Mix’)
iv. Bronwyn Bing (ex Apocalypse Later – also see ‘The Rite Remix’ below)
v. Charl du Plessis (Nerve Zero, Sacrifist)
vi. Buchanan Marais (Nachtegal – more from this guy on the band’s forthcoming EP)
vii. Aiden Morris and Jaz de Wet (State Dependency)
viii. Ryno Theron and Renz Kruger (Truth Decayed)
ix. And of course, Dr D himself
To remind you of the track listing:
i. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
ii. Sweet Leaf
iii. Iron Man
iv. Symptom of the Universe
v. Paranoid
vi. War Pigs
vii. Heaven and Hell
viii. N.I.B.
ix. Black Sabbath
x. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
(if you have been paying attention, the “half” is because #1 and #10 are the same song!)
For more, like – who sings on which tracks - you will have to give the track a spin! It lands on 28 February 2025 on the band’s official YouTube page and Bandcamp page.
All Links https://linktr.ee/chaosdoctrine
3. A Reimagined Track: ‘The Rite (Devil Divas and Harps Mix)’ - Featuring Bronwyn Bing & Craig MacKinnon
We know by now that Chaos Doctrine loves alternative versions of their tracks, and they love colabs. Evidence includes their 2019 EP ‘The Chaos Chronicles Volume I’, the Russian version of Father Grigori (featuring Demether Grail), the monster ‘Blood Serpent God’ (with Russian diva Anna Hel), the Jeanne d’Arc mix of ‘Martyr’ (with the abovementioned Laura Cayzer), and, of course, the Sabbath medley we just told you about!
“We are always busy with a whole load of things at once”, says band guitarist, engineer and producer Alec Surridge. “We don’t like to box our creativity into one way of doing things. So, while working on ‘Bellum’, we would often say things like ‘imagine this track was hardcore industrial’, ‘what would this be like without vocals’, or ‘what if that track had so-and-so singing on it’. Then we would make it happen!”.
‘The Rite (Devil Divas and Harps Mix)’ is one of those “imagine if…” tracks. Its original version (from the band’s second album ‘And in the Beginning…. They Lied’) was the band’s first foray into the world of sludge-meets-Southern-groove, but, with a good old-school-death-metal-meets-industrial twist. The theme is, aptly, the crossroads.
Dr D explains the collaborations on the remix: “I first met Bronwyn Bing years ago while she was still in Apocalypse Later and loved her voice; she sounds like an Evil Dolly Parton! I thought, wouldn’t it be a cool twist if The Rite’s murderous deal with the Devil is told by a female voice? Once this train was in motion, we thought a harmonica player would be an insane addition. While recording with Buchanan (Marais) for the ‘The Sa-bbath Doctrine’ and the EP, he recommended Craig MacKinnon”.
“When Craig came into the studio, he blew us all away”, bassist, backing vocalist and band visual artist Phil Carstens recalls. “He is either inspired, possessed, or both – a true blues harp player!”. “Craig’s harmonica brought a whole new dimension into the song”, adds Alec. “To really allow his bluesiness to set the track apart from its predecessor, we redid all the instruments, introduced some slide guitar, stripped out much of the original industrial elements, and introduced some brand-new backing vocals from Dr D”.
If you missed it: this remix of The Rite signals that production for “The Chaos Chronicles Volume II” is now in full swing. This EP will contain alternative versions of tracks from all albums to date with a few special additions – and the band promises that it will be big!
4. A New Track: ‘The Rite Verse II’
Wait what? The Rite Verse II? Didn’t you just read about the new mix of the old song called the Rite? Yes, you did. That was a redo of an old song. This is a new song. A sequel to the one you just read about.
“Dr D bought a new guitar and wanted to play it a lot, so he wrote a song”, laughs the band’s General of Heavy Artillery (aka drummer) Jason Eedes. “When he played it to us, it’s grooving style immediately made us think it would easily pick up where ‘The Rite’ left off”. Phil qualifies: “while it makes a great sequel, it is in no way a lazy way of putting out a new song. This track is brand new, containing many elements that we have never explored before, including our first ever introduction of a Hammond B3. It also features previously unexplored guitar work by Alec that is brilliant!”.
“It is however a very lazy way of writing lyrics and doing sampling”, jokes Dr D. “To carry the theme of ‘The Rite’ on properly, I carefully chose phrases from the original song and blended these with new lyrics. I also reused the samples from the original track to create continuity but obviously applied them differently so that the track stands on its own!”.
What does the track sound like? Jason: “Imagine if Sepultura and White Zombie formed a new band, which then covered Cream … then add some Deep Purple”. Yes, Imagine.
Photos By Wayde Flowerday Photography & Turquoise Garage
5. In Conclusion
After all the above, you are probably wondering: if Chaos Doctrine is an “industrialised thrash metal band, why include ‘The Rite’ and ‘The Rite’ (yes, your read rite/right) in a release? Didn’t they say both have groovy, almost southern rock vibes to them?
Phil explains: “with our previous single ‘Heretic’ being so heavy, we thought we would throw something out there that is completely different. We have been quite vocal about how we are always pushing our creative boundaries, exploring any style that we like and combining different genres to produce something fresh and heavy”. Jason concludes: “this should of course tell you that whatever we release after this is going to be heavy as hell!”.
There you have it! Chaos Doctrine Triple Release – an unholy trilogy full of devilish delights coming your way on 28 February 2025! Available on all good and bad digital platforms!
Daniel Burger 'Dr D' (Vocals), Alec Surridge (Guitar), Phil Carstens (Bass & Backing Vocals) & Jason Eedes (Drums)
Photo by Devographic Music Agency
6. Chaos Doctrine Bio
Chaos Doctrine brings a unique and modern metal assault by blending old school thrash and death with aggressive industrial metal. Originally formed in 2011 in Johannesburg, South Africa by vocalist Dr D (Bedlam, Malachi, DedX), the band line up is completed by veteran guitarist and band producer Alec Surridge (Sacraphyx, The Warinsane), bass guitarist, backing vocalist and band visual artist Phil Carstens (DedX), and explosive drummer Jason Eedes (Jasper Dan, Azraella’s Sorrow, Beyond the Pale & The Sinners).
For its members, Chaos Doctrine is more than a band: it is a comprehensive sensory experience and a brand. Everything the band produces conveys this – the band name itself, their aggressive sonic releases, explosive live shows, dystopic visual products, and stabbing lyrical content. Chaos Doctrine explores the shadow of the human condition, hatred, brutality, decay. Their approach is unrelenting, fueled by rage and void of apology. This is aggression, this is Chaos Doctrine!
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/ChaosDoctrine
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/chaosdoctrine/
Bandcamp:
7. Other Chaos Doctrine Releases
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