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RATTLESNAKES
Deeper Shades Of Torment EP

Self-released (2025)
Rating: 8/10

I never saw this coming, but now it’s landed I’m blown away. Deeper Shades Of Torment is the debut EP from Nottingham, England-based metallers Rattlesnakes. Let me introduce you to this remarkable bunch: on powerhouse vocals we have Rowena Neale, and then there’s axe killers Jacob Shingler and Josh Brown, bassist Elliot Dryden and drummer Nathan Gratton.

Now, I hear a lot of good stuff and there’s been some excellent female-fronted metal released so far this year, the best being from New York City’s Tower (Let There Be Dark). There’s been some good UK metal too, such as Armstrong Gun (The Fearsome Age), but now there’s Rattlesnakes.

When I first saw the band name and cover I thought this might be some kind of generic sleaze metal, but wow, this is a blitzkrieg on the senses, a full on heavy metal assault led by the incredible vocals of Rowena who deserves to be filling arenas with her voice. Sure, Rattlesnakes are a bunch of upstarts, they’ve got the denim jackets with the patches, the tight jeans, the pristine hi-top trainers, but beyond the bravado this is a band with the sound. A lot of praise was aimed towards British metal band Tailgunner a year or so ago, and I just felt that they lacked conviction with their formulaic Iron Maiden-esque metal, but Rattlesnakes are the real deal and it’s not often I say that.

The EP features five songs and there’s not a rotten egg to be found. Instead, you get rocked hard from the off as ‘Love Me Harder’ strikes with the sort of heavy groove that wouldn’t seem out of place on Mötley Crüe’s 1994 self-titled juggernaut. Rowena has that John Corabi grit, bringing that smooth n’ soulful nature.

Rather than being a throwback to the 80s, Rattlesnakes fit nicely into a late 90s or early 2000s vibe coasting like Beautiful Creatures by integrating a burly sleaze into a framework of no nonsense metal, epitomised by the cool ‘Selfish Soul’ and hard riffage of ‘Burn For You’.

Considering the amount of dull sound-alike bands on the scene, Rattlesnakes are a breath of fresh air. I sincerely hope that they get the attention and success they deserve otherwise Rowena’s talents will be wasted.

Neil Arnold

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