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CRUSADER
In For The Kill EP

Self-released (2025)
Rating: 8.5/10

As if the night sky has cracked open and plummeted them to earth, London, England-based rockers Crusader are born without warning. Of all the 80s throwback hard rock / heavy metal I’ve heard, this In For The Kill EP is right up there with the most authentic.

I know little about the band as this release is fresh from the digital domain and their social media presence is non-existent, but all I can say is that if you like hard rockin’ vibes such Whitesnake, Def Leppard, Scorpions, Dokken et al then you’ll love this. Now, I know that a lot of modern 80s mimicry can sound about as manufactured and plastic as a well-groomed pop boy “band”, but Crusader have the magic ingredients to make this witchery work.

Throw your scepticism out the window and prepare to become entranced because when the smouldering ‘Wanted Man’ saunters into earshot you might think you’ve stepped into Whitesnake’s iconic 1987 album. Vocalist Tommy Baptiste sports the David Coverdale-style of rich, soulful crooning to the point where I could smell his aftershave and see his white satin shirt collar flapping in the night air. Kyle Steven’s guitar sizzles and struts with nostalgic sexual vigour, creating hot waves of electricity akin to John Sykes. In fact, every little detail is set to the latter 80s Whitesnake design, all that’s missing is super model Tawny Kitaen rolling around on the floor in nothing but lingerie and beads of sweat.

If you weren’t there first time around then you might not fully understand the nostalgic dynamics which Crusader constructs. In fact, I’m not even sure if the band members were alive in 1987, but with these three songs they really have tapped into a magical era. In spite of the mimicry, a song such as ‘Wanted Man’ works due to its authenticity, and the same goes for second song ‘Time (Never Stops Running)’ and the closing title cut.

With ‘Time (Never Stops Running)’, Crusader continues to glance into the steamy windows of the late 80s, and possibly through rose-tinted glasses. After all, wouldn’t it just be better if we just listened to Whitesnake? Coverdale and company’s 1987 is a borderline antique now, so why do so many of us metalheads still succumb to throwback metal like Crusader? Maybe it’s just down to familiarity as ‘Time (Never Stops Running)’ effortlessly runs as a mid-tempo rocker with an infectious and airy chorus that wouldn’t seem out of place on a late 80s AOR album.

The title track rounds this EP off in style and again it’s an emphatic chorus that punches. The tempo again offers up that steamy Whitesnake groove as Scott Rae’s bass runs smoothly within the cool thud of Nik K’s percussion. This review comes after the 11th listen and if Crusader doesn’t get a full-length out within the next year and tour I’ll… er… oh, just get the bloody album out!

Neil Arnold

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