History & Biography The act was founded in 1988. Early singer was Bill Thurman who died in 2006. Like many early ‘90s’ Chicago bands, the presence of Red Light/Grindcore in the city meant a contract to the trio calling itself Cianide. The band had a 1990 demo called Funeral and a 1991 demo called Second Life. Being heavily influenced by Celtic Frost, Slaughter and Venom, the band wanted to remain a three-piece at this time. The band's original drummer was replaced in 1993 and surprisingly a second guitarist was added in 1997. Rage War is a limited CD release of the band's 1996 demo. This band participated in the Celtic Frost cover CD In Memory Of Celtic Frost in 1996. Playing on and releasing these CDs was a particular trend during this period. The band initially worked with Merciless Records for the limited release (only 500 copies) of Death, Doom & Destruction and soon after signed to the label. The band issued a 2-CD and limited 3-LP version of all the band's demo material through Displeased Records in late 2005. The band continued releasing albums, but there were demos and splits in-between. Unhumanized was a 2019 EP that managed to add a misspelt album title to the misspelt band monicker.
Reviews CIANIDE - DIVIDE AND CONQUER - MERCILESS
'For those about to rock - Cianide salutes you' reads the sleeve. AC/DC clones? Boogie afficinados? Bon Scott impersonators from USA? Nah, Cianide are Chicago's death metal mainstays, releasing albums since the early nineties to little hoopla or reaction, yet forging ahead out of a strong personal desire and belief. Now on Germany's Merciless, Cianide's new album (somewhere in the catacombs of Metallian Tower I possess copies of the band's first two discs on Red Light) stays true to the band's early sound. Inspired by Celtic Frost (with more than a nod on Remain in Hell), Venom, Impetigo and even Blood possibly, the quartet represent the opposite end of death metal compared to a band like Cryptopsy which emphasizes speed with a clean and technical style. Cianide, on the other hand, mix speed with a cymbal-heavy sludgy attitude - despite there being no snare in the mix- whose lyrics are nothing short of the essence of death metal (Indestructible Force, The Bringer of Doom, Iron Strikes the Earth, Cities are Consumed, etc) and make zero pretensions to be anything else. This is pure stuff for the hardcore death metaller and The Metallian can only commend the band for staying real five albums down the line. - Ali "The Metallian"
Interviews
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