#speedmetal — Public Fediverse posts

SEXMAG + RAPID + DEATHLY SCYTHE

K-Hole, Friday, September 11 at 07:00 PM GMT+2

You like it dirty? Sexmag is not at an attempt at philosophy and fine arts. It comes to bludgeon you over your head with a lesson in filth and violence. It‘s an ignorant goon from the gutter parts of town who stole an electrical guitar and a grimoire and is trying to understand how both work, failing miserably but unleashing some dark presence in the process.
Now the beast is loose once again, shepherded by Finland’s Rapid (who finally decided to release a decent-sized slab of metal after hauting the premises for a good decade) through the heartland of Europe. In Berlin they will be aided by Deathly Scythe on their rip-and-run visit.

The dirty essence of 80s heavy metal - and we mean HEAVY, full of monsters and bat wings and horrible creatures from the dark - is hereby unleashed upon your miserable heads.

Die for total metal, or leave the hall!

https://berlin.askapunk.de/event/sexmag-rapid-deathly-scythe

SEXMAG + RAPID + DEATHLY SCYTHE

K-Hole, Friday, September 11 at 07:00 PM GMT+2

You like it dirty? Sexmag is not at an attempt at philosophy and fine arts. It comes to bludgeon you over your head with a lesson in filth and violence. It‘s an ignorant goon from the gutter parts of town who stole an electrical guitar and a grimoire and is trying to understand how both work, failing miserably but unleashing some dark presence in the process.
Now the beast is loose once again, shepherded by Finland’s Rapid (who finally decided to release a decent-sized slab of metal after hauting the premises for a good decade) through the heartland of Europe. In Berlin they will be aided by Deathly Scythe on their rip-and-run visit.

The dirty essence of 80s heavy metal - and we mean HEAVY, full of monsters and bat wings and horrible creatures from the dark - is hereby unleashed upon your miserable heads.

Die for total metal, or leave the hall!

https://berlin.askapunk.de/event/sexmag-rapid-deathly-scythe

SEXMAG + RAPID + DEATHLY SCYTHE

K-Hole, Friday, September 11 at 07:00 PM GMT+2

You like it dirty? Sexmag is not at an attempt at philosophy and fine arts. It comes to bludgeon you over your head with a lesson in filth and violence. It‘s an ignorant goon from the gutter parts of town who stole an electrical guitar and a grimoire and is trying to understand how both work, failing miserably but unleashing some dark presence in the process.
Now the beast is loose once again, shepherded by Finland’s Rapid (who finally decided to release a decent-sized slab of metal after hauting the premises for a good decade) through the heartland of Europe. In Berlin they will be aided by Deathly Scythe on their rip-and-run visit.

The dirty essence of 80s heavy metal - and we mean HEAVY, full of monsters and bat wings and horrible creatures from the dark - is hereby unleashed upon your miserable heads.

Die for total metal, or leave the hall!

https://berlin.askapunk.de/event/sexmag-rapid-deathly-scythe

SEXMAG + RAPID + DEATHLY SCYTHE

K-Hole, Friday, September 11 at 07:00 PM GMT+2

You like it dirty? Sexmag is not at an attempt at philosophy and fine arts. It comes to bludgeon you over your head with a lesson in filth and violence. It‘s an ignorant goon from the gutter parts of town who stole an electrical guitar and a grimoire and is trying to understand how both work, failing miserably but unleashing some dark presence in the process.
Now the beast is loose once again, shepherded by Finland’s Rapid (who finally decided to release a decent-sized slab of metal after hauting the premises for a good decade) through the heartland of Europe. In Berlin they will be aided by Deathly Scythe on their rip-and-run visit.

The dirty essence of 80s heavy metal - and we mean HEAVY, full of monsters and bat wings and horrible creatures from the dark - is hereby unleashed upon your miserable heads.

Die for total metal, or leave the hall!

https://berlin.askapunk.de/event/sexmag-rapid-deathly-scythe

Rapid by name, rapid by nature. A simple but effective moniker for this rip-roaring trio emerging from the Helsinki underground with a gnarly and riotous speed, thrash, and old school black metal attack. Featuring additional lashings of classic heavy metal, punk, and death influences, Rapid unleash their retro brand of ugly, thrashy mayhem on debut album, Enter the Realm of Fire. And from the get-go, these dudes share a clear devotion of ye olden days of underground, piss-and-vinegar-drenched metal, creating an authentically twisted concoction, brooding with bombast, evil vibes, and over-the-top theatrics. The colorfully named trio, consisting of bassist/vocalist Vincent Revenge, drummer The Goon, and axe wielder Atte ‘Spectre’ Nikku, formed back in 2014. During this time, they spat out a couple of demos and 2022’s Blackstar Oppression Regime EP generating underground buzz. Boasting a mean, unvarnished sound, and metal cred up the ying-yang, can Rapid back things up with songwriting to match their trve old school values?

Following an unnecessary intro piece, Rapid launch into their work proper on the ripping “Witchcraft of Horror,” laying their cards on the table, flexing their blackened thrash and speed metal combo, taking cues from the likes of Venom, early Slayer, Mercyful Fate and modern retro heavyweights Bütcher and Midnight. It’s a raucous, unhinged formula to warm the blackened hearts of’80s metal and underground aficionados. Once more, Rapid is a deceptively nimble beast, wielding their crude weapons and vicious badassery with deft hands, threading slithering melodies and sinister atmospheres into the thrashing cauldron, where galloping speed, raucously blackened riffs and unhinged vocals conspire to wreak havoc. Revenge’s vocals lend the album a wickedly over-the-top and charismatic edge, as black-thrash howls, croaks, demented screams and a rough-around-the-edges cleaner style are unleashed.

Aside from the punkish, first-wave gallop and thrust of mid-album burner “Horemheb,” and epic, if slightly overcooked closer “Beyond the Gates of the Rapid Flames,” Rapid keep the songwriting sharp and punchy, much to the album’s advantage. While the raw slash-and-burn riffage reigns supreme, the melodic embellishments and occasional noteworthy soloing add layers of substance and intrigue to the otherwise cutthroat nature of the Rapid formula. The hugely energetic delivery, coupled with their feral streak and deft handling of tempo variations, helps maintain interest across the album’s duration. At its best, Enter the Realm of Fire goes hard and comes emblazoned with deadly hooks and killer atmosphere, such as those adorning the frosty death march of “Wielder of Might – Death from Above,” grimly venomous meloblack meets heavy metal grooves of “Black Poison,” and blackened heavy metal gallop exhibited on the hooky, over-the-top “Pest Eater.” Not all tracks hit the same heights, but it’s all pretty solid and enjoyable fare.

Enter the Realm of Fire comes armed and dangerous with a roughshod production that tramples modern production values into dust, complimenting the looser vibes and gritty underground aesthetics, without sacrificing overall bite, clarity and tasty dynamics. Rough production and looser vibes do not translate to sloppy performances. The trio bust out energetic, tightly synced performances, highlighted by Revenge’s unusual yet often compelling vocals and Spectre’s raw, menacing riffs, blazing melodies, and often eloquently shredded solos. There are slight ebbs and flows in song-to-song quality, though aside from the throwaway intro and almost comically odd slower-paced track “Gaze of the Black Void,” the album is uniformly solid with a few especially potent bangers.

Rapid’s accomplished debut comes as a pleasant surprise, skillfully straddling the line between nostalgia, ’80s metal trvness, and raw underground grit, while sounding fresh enough to stand on its own. Sure, influences are proudly adorned on their ragged battle vests, but there is ample upside to what Rapid have cooked up. A wild and venomous ride, Enter the Realm of Fire is a gleefully violent, old school metal rampage that largely overcomes its warts and all flaws with solidly entertaining songwriting. The future looks bright for these throwback underground warriors.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320kbps mp3
Label: Dying Victims Productions
Websites: Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: August 21st, 2026

Il Segreto del Vero Rock: Perché la Tua Chitarra Ha Bisogno di un Mastro Liutaio (E Dove Trovarlo!)

https://metal-lore.com/2026/07/20/il-segreto-del-vero-rock-perche-la-tua-chitarra-ha-bisogno-di-un-mastro-liutaio-e-dove-trovarlo/

When old-school Traditional Heavy Metal looks fondly upon its family tree, it sees that it has birthed a host of sub-genre descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky and the grains of sand on the seashore. And like most ancestors, it looks out upon its progeny with both pride and revulsion. For instance, it seriously doubts that “progressive dissonant blackened death metal” can actually be related to it and eyes that genre’s mail/milk person with suspicion. But then it sees the New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal and smiles at the straightlaced apple that didn’t fall too far from the proverbial tree. But even then, the Old Timer sees two different shades of its mini-me, one that incorporates all the bells and whistles of today’s newfangled production values, and one that wears the thrift shop aesthetic of olden days. I really dig bands that can pull off the latter effectively, bands like Century, Lord Mountain, and the gold standard of my recent memory, Legendry. 1

Quebec’s Ravenspell is hoping to join that mighty new-olde company with their debut full-length effort, Obsidian King. Sample the embedded single and album opener “God the Watcher”, and you’ll hear Ravenspell chain its pocket watch to its three-piece suit as it tries to sound as long in the tooth as possible. The song blasts off like a saint out of hell with some rapid riffing and a siren wail from vocalist Alisander the Seer. Clocking in at under four minutes, it sets a blistering tone for an album that will constantly walk the line between classic and speed metals.

Obsidian King by Ravenspell

Like genre leaders Visigoth and Eternal Champion, these guys channel old granddads of metal Manilla Road and Iron Maiden as they serve up sword and sorcery sermons with sweet earworm choruses. Good luck getting “Onwards We March” or “Book of the Dead” out of your head—the latter earns bonus points for kicking things off with a sample from Army of Darkness. Interspersed throughout the more balanced tracks are sub-three-minute, cocaine-fueled speed racers (“Hellstorm” and “Battleaxe Apocalypse”) that hit you and disappear before you even know what happened.

This war wagon nearly made it to the finish line before one of the wheels began to fall off. “Atilla” positions itself to be the Obsidian King’s epic finale, and while it has some cool musical ideas, it ultimately falls flat. Literally. The main vocal lines and backing vocals try to harmonize, but end up clashing in a really unpleasant way. The track also breaks Ravenspell’s winning formula, the one they spent the previous 32 minutes perfecting: classic metal songs at four minutes, speed metal at three. “Atilla” is eight minutes, and in its current form, it just doesn’t work, hun. Production-wise, Obsidian King aims for that old-timey aesthetic of yesteryear, and it mostly hits, despite sounding overly loud to my ears.

Overall, Ravenspell has done the old geezers of metal proud. Obsidian King sounds like it could have been released in the 80s, and for the most part, it delivers the goods. While it may end with a doozy of a misstep, there is over half an hour of quality music here that should please fans of geriatric metal.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Fighter Records
Websites: ravenspell.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/ravenspellofficial
Releases Worldwide: March 12th, 2026

Unlike some of our staff, I’ve never been in a band. However, I can imagine the feeling of satisfaction in putting together and releasing that first full-length record. For every band that achieves this milestone, countless more never do. Italy’s Borrower was nearly among that number. Formed in 1993, Borrower released three demos in the ’90s, a fourth in 2005, and then disappeared until 2018 with their debut EP. Whatever interrupted their musical career, the dream remained, and they finally released their first album (and signed to a label, to boot) 33 years later with their founding vocalist, Massano Ratano, and drummer, Frank Formoso, joined by new guitarists Matteo Marzo and Matteo Marini. Behold their vision, a story of killer, humanoid demons as told through music that harks back to some of the legends of ’80s and ’90s speed metal.

Granted, the concept of an album where each song tells a story about a distinctive demonic entity with its own unique “physical traits” and “specific weapon” is extremely silly, yet Killerdemons proves to be a catchy and cool affair. Borrower claim Motörhead, Judas Priest, and Dio as their main influences, and they write spare, riff-tastic tunes in their honor. The guitars carry much more heft than their influences, however, with enough reverb to take tunes dangerously close to stoner territory a lá High on Fire and Black Sabbath. This marriage between speed and stoner proves effective. “El Degollador” oscillates between lightning-fast, “Ace of Spades”-inspired riffs and slower, “War Pigs”-style stoner riffs in a performance that’s sure to give you whiplash. Taking a cue from AC/DC, Borrower keeps their song structures simple yet catchy. The rollicking “Stay Alive” best demonstrates this virtue with crisp songwriting and energetic pacing. Each track has distinctive riffs that are far more powerful than the demons it conjures.

In the eight years since their 2018 EP, A Plague Chapter…, Borrower has vastly improved their sound and instrumental prowess. The two Matteos have played a major role in this transformation. Marini’s fuzzy guitar tone adds heft where the EP’s guitars sounded tinny. His blending of Motörhead-style riffcrafting with the density of High on Fire and Mastodon adds an extra oomph to tracks like “Der Todessoldat” and “Tough Fight.” Marzo’s bass takes a commanding presence as well. He adds depth and backbone to the music, making his presence especially felt on the slower moments of “Knocking on the Coffins.” Formoso takes a restrained approach behind the kit, occasionally blasting the cymbals (“Dream on Fire”), but mostly setting the pace with an effective simplicity. The wild card of the group is vocalist Ratano. He seemingly channels Lemmy, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Fozzie Bear in a truly strange, yet somehow endearing performance. His Italian accent, which drags out the words “kee-ler dee-mons” during the chorus of “Killerdemons,” adds a level of camp that contributes to the goofy fun.

While Borrower keeps Killerdemons to a concise 36 minutes, the record does falter on the two songs that stray from the 3-4 minute range. The first, “Knocking on the Coffins,” has some memorable riffs, including a cool, old school solo, but at over five minutes, it drags on a bit too long. Positioned between the album’s two best tracks, it also proves to be a major momentum killer. The biggest sore thumb, however, is the six-plus minute finale, “A Chaos Vortex.” Not only does it lack memorable riffs, but it falters in its final two minutes as the band sorely misjudges when to best wrap it up. Trimming 2-3 minutes from each of these songs would have immensely improved the album’s otherwise incredible pacing.

As I established last month, metal tends to invite some weird characters, and the killer demon universe created here is certainly an odd one. But that’s also what makes metal so much fun. Bands feel free to try out their off-the-wall ideas, from literary– or video game-inspired themes to the creation of fantasy or sci-fi realms. And sometimes these ideas actually work. Borrower finally sees through their vision, or at least the start of it, and presents it in such a catchy, cool way. I love to see original ideas performed with such care and passion, and I hope these guys continue to cultivate their ideas and musical talents.



Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Argonauta Records
Website: Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Site
Releases Worldwide: February 13th, 2026

SPEEDTRAP Vol. II

Piranha Bar, Friday, April 10 at 05:00 PM EDT

Viridian Cult Productions presents:

SPEEDTRAP Vol. II

After thememorable night of ripping speed metal that was SPEEDTRAP Vol. I in 2025, the event returns in 2026 for our second edition, even bigger, badder, and more shred-tastic! We've got bands coming from all over the country for this year's fest, ensuring this is one weekend you won't want to miss!

Taking place over two nights, Friday, April 10th and Saturday, April 11th, here's our lineup for this year!

Friday, April 10th:
- Spirit Unbound (MTL)
- Samurai (MTL)
- Black Absinthe (Toronto)
- Killotine (Hamilton)
- The Scepter (Ottawa)
- Castle (San Francisco / Toronto)

Saturday, April 11th:
- Drowning in Blood (MTL)
- Shroud (MTL)
- Zero Tolerance (Hamilton)
- Saccage (Quebec City)
- Ritual Warfare (Halifax)
- Tower Hill (Edmonton)
- Lycanthro (Toronto)
- Freeways (Brampton)

Poster and logo by the one and only Ghastly McNasty!

Tickets on sale now at the link below:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/speedtrap-vol-ii-tickets-1982479158530?aff=oddtdtcreator

https://montreal.askapunk.net/event/speedtrap-vol-ii

SPEEDTRAP Vol. II Fundraiser Show - Motorwolf / Postluven / Ravenspell @ Thrashcan - December 6th, 2025

Thrash Can, Saturday, December 6 at 09:00 PM EST

Viridian Cult Productions presents:

SPEEDTRAP Vol. II FUNDRAISER SHOW

You had a blast at the first SPEEDTRAP? Want to prepare yourself for the impending cavalcade of ripping metal madness next April? Well this is the event for you! Head down to the Thrashcan on the night of Saturday, December 6th, for this one-two-three punch of shredtastic mania!

Newcomer heavy metal warriors Ravenspell from Quebec City will open the night, following by thrashers Postluven, hot off the release of their brand new record, 'Blasphemy of Blood', capped off by everyone's favourite speed freax in Motorwolf!

Don't miss it!

Motorwolf:
https://motorwolf.bandcamp.com/album/possessed

Postluven:
https://postluven.bandcamp.com/album/blasphemy-of-blood

Ravenspell:
https://ravenspell.bandcamp.com/track/warriors-9-to-5

Poster by Jose-Gabriel Bazan Gauthier.

Saturday, December 6th, 2025
@ Thrashcan (Ask a punk!)
Doors 9:00 PM
Show 9:30 PM
$15 / PWYC

https://montreal.askapunk.net/event/speedtrap-vol-ii-fundraiser-show-motorwolf-postluven-ravenspell-thrashcan-december-6th-2025

CUTTHROAT (Irlanda) presenta nova demo: "Cutthroat" #Cutthroat #SpeedMetal #ThrashMetal #Octubre2025 #Irlanda #NovaDemo #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

Stuck in the Filter: August 2025’s Angry Misses

By Kenstrosity

The heat persists, but now the humidity comes in full force as storm systems wreak havoc upon the coasts. I hide in my cramped closet of an office, lest I be washed out once again by an unsuspecting deluge. However, I still send my minions out into the facility, bound by duty to search for those metallic scraps on which we feast.

Fortuitously, most all of those imps I sent out came back alive, and with wares! BEHOLD!

Kenstrosity’s Galactic Gremlin

Silent Millenia // Celestial Twilight: Beyond the Crimson Veil [August 26th, 2025 – Self-Release]

Have you ever seen such a delightfully cheesy cover? Probably, but it’s been a while for me. I bought Celestial Twilight: Beyond the Crimson Veil, the second raw symphonic black metal opus from Finnish one-man act Silent Millenia, on the strength of the artwork alone. Little did I know that what lay beyond this crimson veil was some of the most fun melodic black metal this side of Moonlight Sorcery. The same low-fi roughness that personifies Old Nick’s work grounds Silent Millenia’s starbound songwriting as it traverses the universe with an energetic punch reminiscent of Emperor or Stormkeep (“Awaken the Celestial Spell,” “Daemonic Mastery”). To help differentiate Silent Millenia’s sound from that of their peers, a gothic atmosphere ensorcells much of this material to great effect, merging eerie Victorian melodies with galactic adventurism in an unlikely pair (“Enthrone the Spectral”). Swirling synths and sparkling twinkles abound as well, creating blissful moments of interest as frosty tremolos and piercing blasts take full advantage of the false sense of security those entrancing clouds of synthetic instrumentation create (“Benighted Path to Darkness Mysterium,” “Reign in Cosmic Majesty”). Simply put, Celestial Twilight is an unexpected gem of a symphonic black metal record, bursting with killer ideas and infinite levels of raw, unabashed fun. You should hear it!

Kronos’ Unexpected Unearthments

Street Sects // Dry Drunk [August 15th, 2025 – Self Release]

Dry Drunk sticks to your inner surfaces, draining down like cigarette tar along paralyzed cilia to pool in your lungs until the cells themselves foment rebellion. Once it’s in you, you feel paranoid, wretched, and alone. So it’s the proper follow-up to Street Sects’ visionary debut, End Position. Like that record, Dry Drunk plumbs the most mundane and unsavory gutters of America for a cast of protagonists that it dwells in or dispatches with a mixture of pity and disgust, with vocalist Leo Ashline narrating their violent crimes and self-hatred in a mixture of croons, shrieks, and snarls that cook the air before the speakers into the scent of booze and rotten teeth. And like that record, Shaun Ringsmuth (Glassing) dresses the sets with a fractal litter of snaps, squeals, crashes, gunshots, and grinding electronics, caked in tar and collapsing just as soon as it is swept into a structure. And like End Position, Dry Drunk is a masterpiece. The impeccable six-song stretch from “Love Makes You Fat” through “Riding the Clock” ties you to the bumper and drags you along some of the duo’s most creative side-roads, through the simmering, straightjacketed sludge of “Baker Act” to the chopped-up, smirking electronica of “Eject Button.” Swerving between addled, unintelligible agony and unforgettable anthems, Dry Drunk, like End Position before it is nothing less than the life of a junkie scraped together, heated on a spoon, and injected into your head. Once you’ve taken a hit, you will never be quite the same.

Thus Spoke’s Frightening Fragments

Defacement // Doomed [August 22nd, 2025 – Self Release]

There’s music for every vibe.1 The one Defacement fits is an exclusively extreme metal flavor of moody that is only appreciable by genre fans, made tangibly more eerie by their persistent idiosyncratic use of dark ambient interludes amidst the viciously distorted blackened death. Audiences—and reviewers—tend to disparage these electronic segments, but I’ve always felt their crackling presence increases the analog horror of it all, and rather than being a breather from the intensity, they prolong the nausea, the sense of emptiness, and the abject fearfulness of head-based trauma. This latter concept grows more metaphorical still on Doomed, where the violence is inside the mind, purpose-erasing, and emotionally-detaching. The ambience might be the most sadly beautiful so far (“Mournful,” and “Clouded” especially), and the transitions into nightmarish heaviness arguably the most fluid. And the metal is undoubtedly the most ambitious, dynamic, and magnificent of Defacement’s career, combining their most gruesome dissonance (“Portrait”) with their most bizarrely exuberant guitar melodies (“Unexplainable,” “Unrecognised”). Solos drip tangibly with (emotional) resonance (“Unexplainable,” “Absent”) and there’s not a breath or a moment of wasted space. Yes, the band’s heavier side can suffer from a nagging sense of homogeneous mass, but it remains transporting. While I can appreciate why others do not appreciate Defacement, this is the first of their outings I can truthfully say mesmerised me on first listen.

ClarkKent’s Heated Hymns

Phantom Fire // Phantom Fire [August 8th, 2025 – Edged Circle Productions]

While I waded through the murky depths of the August promo sump, Steel implored me to take the eponymous third album from Phantom Fire. “The AMG commentariat love blackened heavy metal,” he said. I disregarded his advice at my peril, and while I ended up enjoying what I grabbed, it turns out this would have been solid too. Featuring members from Enslaved, Kraków. Hellbutcher, and Aeternus, Phantom Fire play old school speed metal that harks back to the likes of Motörhead and Iron Maiden’s Killers. Thanks to healthy doses of bass and production values that allow the instruments to shine, each song is infused with energetic grooves. The music sounds fresh, crisp, and clear, from the booming drums to Eld’s “blackened” snarls. Early tracks “Eternal Void” and “All For None” show off the catchy blend of simple guitar riffs and a hoppin’ bass accompanied by energetic kit work. While placing a somewhat lengthy instrumental track in the middle of a record usually slows it down, “Fatal Attraction” turns out to be a highlight. It tells a tragic love story involving a motorcycle with nothing but instruments, an engine revving, and some police sirens. The second half of Phantom Fire gets a bit on the weirder side, turning to some stoner and psychedelia. There’s a push and pull between the stoner and Motörhead speed stuff on songs like “Malphas” and “Submersible Pt. 2,” and this blend actually works pretty well. It turns out that they aren’t phantom after all—these guys are truly fire.

Burning Witches // Inquisition [August 22nd, 2025 – Napalm Records]

With six albums in eight years, Swiss quintet Burning Witches has really been burning rubber. While such prolific output in such a short time frame generally spells trouble, Inquisition is a solid piece of heavy/power metal. Burning Witches dabbles in a mix of speedy power metal and mid-tempo heavy metal, often sounding like ’80s stalwarts Judas Priest and Def Leppard. With Laura Guldemond’s gruff voice, they produce a more weighty, less happy version of power metal than the likes of Fellowship or Frozen Crown. While the songs stick to formulaic structures, tempo shifts from song to song help keep things from growing stale. We see this variety right from the get-go, where “Soul Eater” takes a high-energy approach before moving into the more mellow “Shame.” There’s even a pretty solid ballad, “Release Me,” that grounds the back half of the record. Songs of the sort that Burning Witches write need catchy choruses, and fortunately, they deliver. “High Priestess of the Night” is a particular standout, delivering a knock-out punch in its delivery. It helps that the instrumental parts are well-executed, from crunchy riffs to subdued solos to booming blast beats. Anyone looking for a solid bit of power metal that’s not too heavy on the cheese will find this worth a listen.

Deathhammer // Crimson Dawn [August 29th, 2025 – Hells Headbangers Records]

Celebrating 20 years of blackened speed, Deathhammer drop LP number six with the kind of energy that exhausted parents dread to see in their children at bedtime. This is my first foray with the band, and I am in awe of the relentless level of manic energy they keep throughout Crimson Dawn’s 39 minutes. If science could learn how to harness their energy, we’d have an endless source of renewables. The two-piece out of Norway channels classic Slayer on crack and even has moments reminiscent of Painkiller-era Judas Priest. They play non-stop thrash cranked to 11, with persistent blast beats and some dual guitar parts that leave your head spinning from the rapid-fire directions the riffs fire off in. The heart of the mania is singer Sergeant Salsten. His crazed vocals are amazing—snarling, shouting, and shrieking in a way that took me back to the manic pitch Judge Doom could reach in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? He sings so fast that on the chorus of “Crimson Dawn,” it sounds like he says “Griffindor,” which had me searching confusedly for the Harry Potter tag. This was probably my favorite song, not just because of the Griffindor thing, but because that chorus is so catchy. Either way, it’s tough to pick a standout track because they all grip you by the throat and don’t let go. Crimson Dawn is a ton of fun and a must listen if you like your music fast.

Grin Reaper’s Bountiful Blight

Kallias // Digital Plague [August 14th, 2025 – Self Release]

Machine gun drumming, spacey synths, Morbid Angel-meets-Meshuggah riffing, Turian-esque barking and Voyager-reminiscent vocal melodies…what the fuck is going on here? The only thing more surprising than someone having the moxie to blend all these things together is how well they work in concert. Kallias doesn’t hold back on sophomore album Digital Plague, and the result is a rocket-fueled blast through forty-four minutes of eclectic, addictive prog. The mishmash of styles keeps the album fresh and unpredictable while never dipping its toes in inconsistent waters, and staccato rhythms propel listeners through eight tracks without losing steam. As with any prog metal worth its salt, Kallias brandishes technical prowess, and their cohesion belies the relatively short time they’ve been putting out music.2 The mix is well-suited to spotlight whoever needs it at a given time, whether the bass is purring (“Exogíini Kyriarchía”), the drums are being annihilated (“Pyrrhic Victory”), or a guitar solo nears Pettrucian wankery (“Phenomenal in Theory”). The end result is three-quarters of an hour filled with myriad influences that fuse into a sound all Kallias’s own, and it’s one I’ve returned to several times since discovering (also, credit to MontDoom for his stunning artwork, which helped initially draw my attention). Check it out—you’ll be sick if you avoid this one like the Plague.

Luke’s Kaleidoscopic Kicks

Giant Haze // Cosmic Mother [August 22nd, 2025 – Tonzonen Records]

Whereas many of my colleagues are bracing themselves for cooler conditions and harsh winters to come, in my neck of the woods, things are warming up. While my own wintry August filter proved scarce, there was one particular summery gem to lift moods with burly riffs and fat stoner grooves. Unheralded German act Giant Haze seemingly emerged out of nowhere during a random Bandcamp deep dive. Debut LP Cosmic Mother channels the good old days of ’90s-inspired desert rock, featuring grungy, doomy vibes via a groovy batch of riff-centric, hard-rocking and uplifting jams, evoking the nostalgic spirit of Kyuss, Fu Manchu, Clutch and perhaps even a dash of Danzig. Punching out raucous, groove-soaked hard rockers with skyscraping hooks (“Geographic Gardens Suck,” “King of Tomorrow,” “Panic to Ride”), summery, funk–psych jams (“Sunrise”), and bluesy, punk-infused fireballs (“Crank in Public,” “Shrink Age”) Giant Haze get a lot of things right on this assured debut. The songwriting is deceptively diverse and punchy, bolstered by solid production, tight musicianship, and the swaggering, ever so slightly goofy vocal charms and powerful hooks of frontman Christoph Wollmann. Inevitably, a few rough spots appear, but overall Cosmic Mother showcases oodles of budding potential, an impactful delivery, cheeky sense of humor, and infectious, feel-good songcraft.

Spicie Forrest’s Foraged Fruit

Bask // The Turning [August 22nd, 2025 – Season of Mist]

Last seen in 2019, Bask returns with fourth LP, The Turning, a concept album following The Rider as she and The Traveler traverse the stars. They still peddle the unique blend of stoner rock and Americana Kenstrosity reviewed favorably in 2019, but 2025 sees them looking up for inspiration. The Turning incorporates a distinct cosmic bent (“The Traveler,” “The Turning”) and post-rock structures (“Dig My Heels,” “Unwound”). These augmentations to Bask’s core sound are enhanced by the masterful pedal steel of new official member Jed Willis. Whether floating through the firmament or tilling earthly pastures, Willis creates textures both fresh and intensely nostalgic. The infinite shifting vistas of The Turning’s front half coalesce into singular timeless visions on the back half, supporting its conceptual nature in both content and form. Like a combination of Huntsmen and Somali Yacht Club, Bask weaves riffs and melodies heard across the plains and through the void above with an unguarded authenticity felt in your soul.

Dolphin Whisperer’s Disseminating Discharge

Plasmodulated // An Ocean ov Putrid, Stinky, Vile, Disgusting Hell [August 1st, 2025 – Personal Records]

Stinky, sticky, slimy—all adjectives that define the ideal death metal platter. Myk Colby has been trying to chase this perfect balance in a reverb-wonky package with projects like the d-beaten Hot Graves and extra hazy Wharflurch, but vile death metal balance is hard to achieve. However, An Ocean ov Putrid, Stinky, Vile, Disgusting Hell contains a recklessly pinched Demilichian riffage, classic piercing whammy bombs, and spook-minded synth ambience that places Plasmodulated with an odor more pungent than its peers. With an infected ear that festers equally with doom-loaded, Incantation-indebted drags (“Gelatinous Mutation ov Brewed Origin,” “Trapped in the Plasmovoid”) and Voivod-on-jenkem cutaways to foul-throated extravagence (“The Final Fuckening”). An air of intelligent tempo design keeps An Ocean from never feeling trapped in a maze of its own fumes, with Colby’s lush and bubbling synth design seguing tumbles into hammering deathly tremolo runs (“Such Rapid Sphacelation”) and Celtic Frosted riff tumbles (“Drowning in Sputum”) alike, all before swirling about his own tattered, trailing vocal sputters. Steady but slippery, elegant yet effluvial, An Ocean ov Putrid, Stinky, Vile, Disgusting Hell provides the necessary noxious pressure to corrode death metal-loving denizens into pure gloops of stained-denim pit worship. Delivered as labeled, Plasmodulated earns its hazardous declaration. We here at AMG are not liable for any OSHA violations that occur as a result of Plasmodulated consumption on the job, though.

#2025 #Aeternus #AmericanMetal #Americana #AnOceanOvPutridStinkyVileDisgustingHell #Aug25 #Bask #BlackMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal #BurningWitches #CelestialTwilightBeyondTheCrimsonVeil #CelticFrost #Clutch #CosmicMother #CrimsonDawn #Danzig #DarkAmbient #DeathMetal #Deathhammer #DefLeppard #Defacement #Demilich #DigitalPlague #Doomed #DryDrunk #DutchMetal #EdgedCircleProductions #Emperor #Enslaved #Fellship #FinnishMetal #FrozenCrown #FuManchu #GermanMetal #GiantHaze #Glassing #Hardcore #HeavyMetal #Hellbutcher #HellsHeadbangersRecords #HotGraves #Huntsmen #Incantation #Inquisition #IronMaiden #JudasPriest #Kallias #Kraków #Kyuss #MelodicBlackMetal #Meshuggah #MoonlightSorcery #MorbidAngel #Motörhead #NapalmRecords #NorwegianMetal #OldNick #PersonalRecords #PhantomFire #Plasmodulated #PowerMetal #ProgressiveDeathMetal #RawBlackMetal #Review #Reviews #SelfRelease #SilentMillenia #Slayer #Sludge #SludgeMetal #SomaliYachtClub #SpeedMetal #StonerRock #Stormkeep #StreetSects #StuckInTheFilter #StuckInTheFilter2025 #SwissMetal #SymphonicBlackMetal #TechnicalDeathMetal #TheTurning #TonzonenRecords #Turian #Voivod #Voyager #Wharflurch

Ültra Raptör – Fossilized Review

By Grin Reaper

Cybernetic dinosaurs skirmish with a squad of Starship Troopers-inspired foot soldiers on a battle-scarred field. Eerie green mist cloaks a gutted refinery where small fires continue to blaze. Above, pocked moons loom menacingly low, while farther up, chrome font adorned with gratuitous umlauts irradiates the sky. Conventional wisdom says not to judge a book by its cover, but this is album art you can hear. If you’re not conjuring vivacious guitar acrobatics, lock-step rhythmic thunder, and macho bellows, then you aren’t paying attention. Ültra Raptör is here to crack open a cold one and unleash sophomore effort Fossilized. So buckle up, buckaroo. Grab your mandatory Molson and let this quintet of Canucks hit you “Hard ‘N Fast” with their take on heavy speed metal.

Have I ever wondered what Judas Priest might sound like if they teamed up with Blaze Bayley to write Screaming for Vengeance II? No. But Ültra Raptör approximates that hypothetical effort on Fossilized. Musically speaking, Fossilized sits comfortably between Priest’s 80s era and modern Riot V. Slick guitar leads, rumbly bass grooves, and punchy drums support hooky-as-fook choruses and flashy solos. The music is kinetic, and anyone who appreciates a slice of NWoBHM should find plenty of toe-tapping, headbangable moments. Ültra Raptör doesn’t do anything new on Fossilized, but they never claim to. These fellas are just here to cook up tales of heavy metal, dinosaurs, and haulin’ ass, and by God, they do that with aplomb.

Fossilized charms effortlessly, churning out melodies and earworms so sticky that I can’t shake them from my gray matter. The first four tracks set an imposing standard, where “Fossilized” and “Hard ‘N Fast” are my personal favorites, and “Spinosaurus” and “Living’ for the Riff” never falter. Guitarists Criss Raptör and Zoltan Saurus lead the assault, with riffs, licks, and leads blitzing your ears with cocksure blasts.1 From the opening moments of “Fossilized,” the six-string theatrics never let up. I’ve listened to my share of albums where I was duped by a single, only to discover the rest of the album failed to live up to the soaring heights promised. Ültra Raptör peddles no such dreck. Growling bottom-end Dick Van Heuß bolsters each track with brawny bass. Though spotlights are rare, Van Heuß constantly lurks below, ever present if you listen past the rest of the electrifying onslaught. No laggard himself, drummer Tony Bronco revs up the kit and does a tremendous job of setting a searing pace (“X-Celerator”2). Meanwhile, vocalist Phil T. Lung croons through nine tracks with his gritty baritone. I expect his voice will be the most divisive part of Ültra Raptör’s sound, and while he’s capable, it’s not the typical torsion-induced falsettos regularly featured in the genre. Though he mostly evokes Blaze Bayley, a few moments ring of Dave Brockie. The ensuing amalgam is a potent brewski—one best consumed with a mullet and a pack of cigs crammed into your denim jacket.

Ültra Raptör’s fearlessness begets a raucous and engaging listen, though adjustments could have elevated Fossilized. In total, they deliver forty-one minutes of filler-less heavy metal (less instrumental “Le Voyageur d’Oort,” a decent but unremarkable minute). The mix permits everyone to shine and contains enough depth to appreciate what passes for nuance in such an outrageous concept. Revisiting the vocals, Lung is proficient and never lacks the gusto to match the music’s energy. Despite that, I wish there was more variety in his singing. Either harnessing more falsettos like on debut Tyrants or bringing in a guest singer could add enough extra spice to kick things up a notch. Singing aside, the chief knock on Fossilized is a lack of originality. I don’t believe this will or should prevent anyone from enjoying what Ültra Raptör does here, but it defines a ceiling that’s extremely difficult to push past.

Ültra Raptör pumps testosterone-fueled, chest-thumping vigor into Fossilized, constructing an over-the-top arrogance that would crumble with less conviction. The album exudes fun because of the utter commitment to the bit, and unless you’re allergic to a good time, I highly recommend checking out Fossilized. It’s not an album that will change anyone’s mind about what heavy or speed metal offers, but it is an excellent example of what makes a very good record within those confines.

Rating: Very Good
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Fighter Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: October 7th, 2025

#2025 #35 #BlazeBayley #CanadianMetal #FighterRecords #Fossilized #HeavyMetal #JudasPriest #Oct25 #Review #Reviews #Riot #RiotV #SpeedMetal #ÜltraRaptör

Breaking radio silence for a bit of fun this fine seventh best day of the week. I feel like us Mastodonians have been conditioned to recoil at the mention of “X” these days, which is ridiculous since the letter has existed for, well, x number of years. And, more relevant to our interests here, “X” has been used as the name of (at least) three separate bands: the punk rock band from Australia, the heavy metal band from Japan, and the punk rock band from the US. So, as ye ol’ hardcore band Too Pure To Die once so eloquently said, let’s “X the fuck up” and take X back, if only for a few album spins. In other words, though only the latter band is in The List (or at least was, prior to this post), we’re going to look at all three X bands today.

X – X-Aspirations (1980, Australia)

Okay, first up: the Australian X, formed in 1977 by Ian Rilen (a founding/ex-member of hard rock band Rose Tattoo), Steve Lucas, Ian Krahe, and Steve Cafiero. The album we spotlight here is their debut album (also just called Aspirations), which was included in the 2010 book 100 Best Australian Albums. Recorded in a single 5-hour session in 1979 (without Krahe, who had died of an overdose in 1978), the album was released the following year. The band broke up/went on hiatus after the album’s release until 1983, and then would go on to release two more studio albums and three live albums. In 2011, an amazing album of DIY recordings from 1977 with the entire original line-up was also released, mixed/mastered from the original four-track masters. While the band is still active, Lucas is the only remaining original member (Cafiero died in 1988, and Rilen in 2006).

I had never heard X-Aspirations before and enjoyed every single millisecond of it. Standout tracks for me are “I Don’t Wanna Go Out” (a fitting theme song for a pandemic world), “Coat of Green”, and, my favorite, “Waiting”. Also, included on the 2009 reissue (the version in the below YouTube link) is their fantastic cover of John Lennon’s “Mother”, originally released in 1984 as a 7″. If you’re a fan of great punk rock (and bands like Green River), I think you’ll really dig this band. In fact, this album has now been added to The List, it’s that good.

• YouTube: X – X-Aspirations
• Discogs: X – X-Aspirations
• Wikipedia: X (Australian band)

X – Under The Big Black Sun (1982, US)

Next up: the American X, also formed in 1977, by John Doe, Exene Cervenka, D.J. Bonebrake (who also played drums for the Germs), and Billy Zoom. The album featured here is number 766 from The List (submitted by @puffer). This is the album that sparked this post, as it was randomly chosen as the next for me to spotlight, via a Mastodon survey put up the day of the solar eclipse (the winning choice being “Sun 12”, or the 12th album in The List to have “sun” in the title).

In a later spotlight we’ll take a look at the band’s beginnings and their first album, Los Angeles (as it’s also on The List). Under The Big Black Sun, X’s third album, retains their rockabilly foundation but sounds a bit different than their previous work, being closer to hard rock than punk, and with a more somber mood due to Cervenka’s sister’s tragic death in 1980. While it perhaps didn’t make official lists like the previous two albums, this album is considered by many to be their best, and isn’t a bad place to start if you haven’t checked out (this) X before.

• Bandcamp: X – Under The Big Black Sun
• Discogs: X – Under The Big Black Sun
• Wikipedia: X (American band)
• Website: X the band

X – Vanishing Vision (1988, Japan)

And lastly: the Japanese X (エックス), formed in 1982 originally as a punk band by Yoshiki and Toshi, fellow Kiss fans who were in high school at the time. They switched to metal, and established their original complete lineup around 1987 when Pata, hide, and Taiji joined. In 1992, the band would change their name to X Japan (エックス・ジャパン), so as to not be confused with the American X (sorry, Australian X…).

So, like, this X is Huge, with a capital “H”. They’ve been playing the biggest venues since 1991. They’re credited as being an originator of the Visual Kei movement/subculture. They’ve released more live albums than studio (six vs. five). They were featured in Sam Dunn’s 2008 documentary Global Metal (including an interview with Yoshiki). The 2016 documentary on Yoshiki and the band We Are X included interviews with Gene Simmons and Stan Lee, premiered at Sundance, and won a number of awards. They’ve influenced not only countless other J-rock/metal bands, but also K-pop. They’ve made greatest Japanese band/album lists for over 20 years. Etc. etc. etc.

Though their second album, the 1989 Blue Blood, is considered to be their breakthrough album and has made a number of best-of lists, we’re going to spotlight their debut album here, Vanishing Vision, released in 1988. This is 42 minutes of absolutely quality speed/power metal, with lyrics in both Japanese and English. A couple of the tracks would be reworked for the more symphonic/ballad-tinged and polished Blue Blood (including the album’s final unfinished song, which is actually finished for BB), but I think Vanishing Vision has more charm and is more cohesive as an album. Really though, you’ll have a great time listening to either, and, for more X content, you do need to check out the fantastic crowd-friendly song “X” (e.g., this live 1990 performance), on Blue Blood.

There’s a lot to dig in with this band – the music, the aesthetics, the drama, multiple tragedies, etc. – so I’ll leave it up to you to go down the X Japan rabbit hole on your own. But one more nugget, seeing as we’re X’ing the fuck up – because the band owns the name, the regional site formerly known as Twitter Japan was not able to rebrand to “X Japan” like a clearly non-metal fan wanted. And so, thank you for existing, X Japan, for multiple reasons. You’ve now been added to The List.

• Youtube: X – Vanishing Vision
• Discogs: X – Vanishing Vision
• Wikipedia: X Japan
• Website: X Japan
• Metal Archives: X Japan

Happy listening, I’ll meet you here again in a couple weeks.

[Alt text for accompanying image: Three album covers are in a row, X-Aspirations in the back left, Vanishing Vision in the back right, and Under The Big Black Sun in the front center. The cover art for X-Aspirations is an image of a black X with a black and white background, with the album title in red font in the left bottom corner. The cover art for Under The Big Black Sun is a black and white drawing of a bedroom with a window looking at a city. The band name is a big gold letter in the top left corner, with the album title in blue font beside. The cover art for Vanishing Vision is a painting of a woman’s torso, wearing a leather corset and neck piece, with a bit of a nip slip situation. A hand is grabbing her right breast, and another hand is holding a knife dripping with blood, presumably the knife that slashed a bloody x into the torso. The band’s name is a grey letter in the top right corner, and the album name is written on a slant across the bottom right corner.]

https://1001otheralbums.com/2024/05/21/x-up/

#1001OtherAlbums #1980s #Australia #metal #postPunk #powerMetal #punk #rock #speedMetal #visualKei #XBand #XJapan #Yoshiki

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#BLABBERMOUTH
DAVE MUSTAINE On Future Of Metal: 'As Long As People Make Good Records, There's Nothing To Worry About'

https://blabbermouth.net/news/dave-mustaine-on-future-of-metal-as-long-as-people-make-good-records-theres-nothing-to-worry-about

#DaveMustaine #FutureOfMetal #ThrashMetal #MEGADETH #HeavyMetal #NewWaveOfBritishHeavyMetal #PowerMetal #SpeedMetal #BlackMetal #WhiteMetal #DeathMetal #CoreMetal #TrueMetal