Motörhead

Intöxicated – Sadistic Nightmares Review

Intöxicated – Sadistic Nightmares Review

By Crispy Hooligan on May 5, 2023 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, 22 comments

“Nearly ten years to the day Intöxicated blearily burst forth with their debut, the Germans stumble back up to the bar with a new singer in tow for follow-up Sadistic Nightmares. Intöxicated have tried buying Pedialyte in bulk; they’ve tried the greasiest pizza your town has to offer; they’ve tried cocooning themselves on the floor of a windowless bathroom. But the only way to cure this decade-long hangover is with another ultra-tight package of metal, murder, and mayhem.” Hammered and hammering.

Lüger – Revelations of the Sacred Skull Review

Lüger – Revelations of the Sacred Skull Review

By Crispy Hooligan on February 15, 2023 in Reviews, Black Metal, Speed Metal, 14 comments

“Montreal moshers Lüger have certainly taken their time crafting their follow-up to their 2018 debut, Hellraisers of the Waste. Such a long gestation between first and second albums often brings dark portents—with the infrequent exceptionally brilliant album. What such a gap most rarely brings is mediocrity. Revelations of the Sacred Skull squarely takes aim at Crispy’s heart with its blend of punk, trad, and doom, wrapped together in a delightfully sordid smut package.” Dead shot or major misfire?

Hellripper – Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags Review

Hellripper – Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags Review

By El Cuervo on February 13, 2023 in Reviews, Black Metal, Speed Metal, Thrash Metal, 40 comments

“In a crowded market of goat suppliers in the metal scene, Scotland’s Hellripper stands above the mob. Their infectious blend of speed/thrash/black metal offered me a lifeline back into a thrash scene that was boring me in the 2010s. 2020’s The Affair of the Poisons was a typically rambunctious affair and very comfortably hit my year-end list. But I have most recently been experiencing the company of Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags which reaches even further north towards Orkney, an archipelago north of the Scottish mainland.” Put a goat in your moat.

Thrashera – Bastardos da Noite Review

Thrashera – Bastardos da Noite Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on July 24, 2022 in Reviews, Thrash Metal, 14 comments

“For All Drunks ‘n’ Bitches (along with sophomore release, Morte Webbanger) is about as ’80s as it gets—unbridled speed, catchiness, and the filthiest production since Hellhammer. Come 2020, the band upped their game with cleaner production and a smattering of guest appearances from such outfits as Flageladör, Vulcano, and Beyond the Grave. Não Gosto! isn’t exactly a new direction for the band and, honestly, nothing new to the genre. But it’s a tighter, better-structured product than previous releases. Is Não Gosto! but a diamond in the band’s catalog, or will Bastardos da Noite dethrone it?” Bastard of puppets.

Bastard – Rotten Blood Review

Bastard – Rotten Blood Review

By Ferox on March 9, 2022 in Reviews, 17 comments

“What we have here is the devil’s own bar band. After a seven-year layoff and a slew of lineup changes, Bastard swaggers back onstage with sophomore full-length Rotten Blood. These four likely parolees mine a vein of blackened speed metal and thrash that will be familiar to fans of Nifelheim, Goatwhore, or, more recently, any of your finer bands ending in the suffix “-er” (Bütcher, Bewitcher, Hellripper, Demiser, etc.). The album is all Motörhead riffs played at 78 rpm and mad-lib lyrics that pay homage to Satan or whatever–mostly, it seems, because cozying up to Old Man Splitfoot is the fastest way to get your hands on the good whiskey.” Bastards, bourbon, Battlestar Galactica.

X.I.L – Rip & Tear Review

X.I.L – Rip & Tear Review

By Saunders on March 1, 2022 in Reviews, Speed Metal, Thrash Metal, 12 comments

“Following a pretty damn solid year for the thrash genre in 2021, fans of the legendary, often gateway metal genre will be buzzed for more of the same quality in 2022. A good old blast of feisty thrash is always welcome, especially as we swing into the trials, tribulations and hopefully good times of another uncertain year. Kicking off my thrash promos of 2022 is an unheralded act out of Texas, named X.I.L, dropping their self-released debut LP, Rip & Tear.” Rip ride.

Gunjack – The Third Impact Review

Gunjack – The Third Impact Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on January 31, 2022 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, 46 comments

“You’ve heard of rock ‘n’ roll. You’ve heard of black ‘n’ roll. You’ve heard of death ‘n’ roll. But, have you ever heard of drunk ‘n’ roll? Sure you have. If you’ve heard Motörhead, then you know exactly what to expect from a band that says they play drunk ‘n’ roll. It’s the kind of music every party deserves. The kind of music to whip your cock out to and blackout on hobowine filled with shards of broken swords. That’s the kind of “roll” Gunjack plays.” Ride the drunk train to the hobo yard.

Knife – Knife Review

Knife – Knife Review

By Felagund on October 23, 2021 in Reviews, Black Metal, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, 45 comments

“Over the past few years, I’ve found myself growing increasingly fond of the blackened speed metal subgenre. Something about the mix of simple, unrelenting riffs, vicious vocals and gleefully evil subject matter speak to my soul in a profound and fundamental way. But instead of exploring any of that in therapy, I just keep an eye out for the next morsel of Motörhead-worshipping, Venom-venerating filth that bobs to the surface of the promo sump. That’s exactly how I happened upon Knife, a blackened speed outfit hailing from Germany that traffic in this (un)heavenly concoction.” Blades of steel.