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THRILLER
Street Metal

Self-released (2023)
Rating: 8/10

This is undoubtedly one of the most metal releases of 2023. Of German design, Street Metal kneels at the altar of Judas Priest, Helloween, Accept, Stratovarius etc.; high octane speeding steel that pumps you full of lead before coating you in molten ash.

If you look at the band photos you’ll see denim, leather, sunglasses and clenched fists, a perfect recipe to construct such a cauldron of testosterone fuelled fury. Lead vocalist Julian Mason boasts some great pipes as he leads his band of warriors into our ears for a selection of stormy anthems, beginning with the superb ‘Iron Goddess’ which gallops on its own waves of blood and thunder.

My only issue at times is the drums which seem a bit programmed, although they obviously aren’t as they are the work of Arnold Wein. That aside, this remains a rollicking outing with a number of sterling cuts, including the speedster ‘Aiming For Freedom’ (where the drums seem to actually be mixed correctly) and the sonic force that is ‘Days Are Gone’. In fact, there isn’t a poor track on offer; all of the eight tracks provided are full on blitzes culminating in the nuclear ‘Falling Night’.

There is little room for subtlety as axe duo Christopher Westphal and Rudolf Emich sublimely wreck the ears as if they were auditioning for a slot on Judas Priest’s classic 1990 album Painkiller. That’s the vibe here then – hammering, scorching metal from start to finish that leaves a trail of black smoke from the speakers.

Neil Arnold

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