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SPEEDRAISER
Mosh! Bang! Drink!

Self-released (2023)
Rating: 6.5/10

Not only does this Polish thrash act boast the silliest album title this year, but the cover art isn’t much better either. This is standard alcohol-driven metal, although the riffs are nice n’ crunchy and quite well paced. Obviously there is plenty of humour involved, but most important are the melodious streaks which run through this rather short-lived debut full-length.

I assumed this might be somewhat of a speed metal blur but a majority of the songs are quite tuneful, even the vocals of guitarist Michał Szewczenko are less gnarly and more pronounced than I expected. The title track is measured yet busy, finding a comfortable balance of mid-tempo ruggedness injected with vim and traditional values.

At their most aggressive on a track like ‘Heavy Metal Pathos’, Speedraiser resorts to a sneering San Francisco Bay Area-styled aggression. Songs like ‘Motorbike’ boast a punky, Teutonic groove; somewhat upbeat and jaunty yet brimming with a Venom and Motörhead energy.

The clan are fully aware of their punk influences, hence a track such as ‘Speedmetal Beton Punk’, but it’s all cheery and beery stuff nonetheless. It’s a shame that there are only seven tracks on offer, but fetch a few cans of beer and mosh until your heart is content.

Neil Arnold

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