The Speed Metal Thread

Intruder - "Live To Die" (1987)

The debut album from these Nashville thrash metallers who would kick things off with more of a speed metal record. Great musicianship & clean sung vocals. The lead guitar work is brilliant. For fans of Lååz Rockit, ZnöWhite & Anthrax.

3.5/5

For this weekend's top ten list I decided to compile my Top Ten Speed Metal Releases of All Time. It's heavily weighted towards the mid-1980's unsurprisingly. Feel free to post your own too.

01. Exciter – “Long Live The Loud” (1985)

02. Acid – “Maniac” (1983)

03. Agent Steel – “Skeptics Apocalypse” (1985)

04. Venom – “At War With Satan” (1984)

05. Savage Grace – “Master Of Disguise” (1985)

06. Iron Angel – “Hellish Crossfire” (1985)

07. Acid – “Acid” (1983)

08. Paradox – “Product Of Imagination” (1987)

09. Exciter – “Heavy Metal Maniac” (1983)

10. Exciter – “Violence & Force” (1984)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/176

I wouldn't consider every album here Speed Metal (Slayer and Whiplash are pure Thrash to me) but for simplicity sake I included everything that falls under that umbrella, especially because it's one of the harder to define genres. Mine is likewise exclusively 80's albums, not purposefully but I guess that's when the genre really peaked.

1. Slayer - Show No Mercy (1983)

2. Paradox - Heresy (1989)

3. Angel Dust - Into the Dark Past (1986)

4. Angel Dust - To Dust You Will Decay (1988)

5. Helstar - Noseferatu (1989)

6. Blind Guardian - Battlions of Fear (1988)

7. Whiplash - Power and Pain (1986)

8. Killers - Résistances (1989)

9. X Japan - Blue Blood (1989)

10. Paradox - Product of Imagination (1987)

After the recent confirmation that stenchcore is a valid primary genre for Metal Academy, I've realized that there's one other Pit-related issue: whether speed metal should remain a Pit genre or a heavy metal subgenre! RYM now has Speed Metal as a subgenre to Heavy Metal, which is a Guardians genre, and I can kinda understand why. Alongside the RYM description, "Originating from the NWOBHM and influenced by the work of early heavy metal bands, being faster and somewhat more aggressive than heavy metal", when I still had The Guardians in my clan lineup and heavy/power metal on my radar, most of the speed metal releases I've listened to (and it was very few) were also one of The Guardians genres. Those releases I used to listen to included the first two releases each of Helloween, Running Wild, Blind Guardian, and X Japan (the former two in the mid-80s and the latter two in the late 80s), all having both speed metal and either heavy metal or power metal. Honestly I believe that while the releases have a few aggressive thrashy aspects in the sound, it's mostly just the fast speedy tempo, with the rest of the style being one of those two genres, in some ways similar to DragonForce which is just speedy power metal. However, the one speed metal release I still have a rating for, Voivod's War and Pain, is straight into thrashy territory. So...

The Guardians - 4

The Pit - 1

With that, I definitely find speed metal to be more of a heavy metal subgenre, but what about the rest of you? If anyone here is up for exploring speed metal or has some knowledge of the genre, please feel free to check out some of its releases and discuss what you think. Daniel, this would be a good challenge for you after resting from your stenchcore deep dive. Feel the need for speed!

Here's the Speed Metal clan challenge to get started: https://metal.academy/lists/single/64

Ben & I gave this a lot of thought before deciding on our current arrangement when we were originally building the clan philosophy. We opted for the current arrangement because in our experience speed metal had a stronger stylistic crossover with thrash metal. I'm certainly open to revisiting this but are interested in everyone's feelings. I'd really like everyone to be aware that RYM is a very poor guide though so we have no intention of blindly following what they're doing.

Personally, I have always viewed speed metal as the evolutionary step between heavy metal and thrash metal, so I'm kind of on the fence with this one and feel that both The Guardians and The Pit have a valid claim on it's inclusion. Maybe as it was birthed within The Guardians remit though, then they have the stronger claim, but I could be persuaded either way.

Personally, I have always viewed speed metal as the evolutionary step between heavy metal and thrash metal, so I'm kind of on the fence with this one and feel that both The Guardians and The Pit have a valid claim on it's inclusion. Maybe as it was birthed within The Guardians remit though, then they have the stronger claim, but I could be persuaded either way.

A key outlier for me is jam factor vs. riff factor.  Thrash metal tends to be less melody-oriented and focused on a more evil or just malevolent presence than speed metal, which is closer to the original heavy metal spirit, like hard rock on steroids.  The Angel Dust debut either switches between the two or merges them, and it makes for a good exercize in determining which is which, especially if you go right for the next album which is almost entirely absent of thrash.

To me Speed belongs in the guardians, and I think it should be a case by case basis on certain albums getting both speed and thrash and sitting in both clans (such as Angel Dust's debut). I also feel a lot of heavier Speed Metal albums are simpy labeled incorrectly, such as calling Whiplash's debut Speed Metal when to me it is entirely Thrash. Speed Metal only really serves a purpose when it is correctly applied to faster and slightly heavier Heavy Metal, because otherwise it doesn't really have an identity if it's so interchangeable with Thrash.

I don't think it's interchangeable with thrash at all.  Despite that, because of its direct attitude, I believe it belongs in the Pit.  Power metal albums are mostly focuses on melody and drama, but speed and thrash are both focuses on attitude, even though rhythm and jams are a bigger part of speed metal.  Besides, we already have one clan taking five genres, I don't think we need another.

Besides, we already have one clan taking five genres, I don't think we need another.

I'm pretty sure that was a consideration when we originally made the call actually Rexorcist although it has to be said that The Guardians includes Neoclassical Metal which pretty clearly isn't a genre in my opinion & is probably in need of sorting out more urgently than speed metal does. Speed metal is possibly the most poorly used genre tag in all of metal in my opinion with even some of the most popular releases in the whole genre being simply mistags. The first two Venom records are prime examples of this as neither include more than a couple of speed metal tracks each. You'll often find speed metal used simply as a logical descriptor to cover releases that really include 50% thrash metal & 50% heavy metal tracks when there aren't really any genuine speed metal tracks included on the release. Even genuine speed metal records aren't consistent across the whole tracklistings as there's a need for variety of tempo so they'll inevitably have a couple of slower tracks included that fall into heavy metal territory & that muddies the water a bit. To me there's a fundamental difference between speed metal & thrash metal in that thrash is driven by the riffs which is why they're usually more complex in order to command the audience's focus. Speed metal is driven by the vocals which sees the riffs & song structures being simpler & more of an accompaniment to the vocal or lead guitar melodies like they are in heavy metal. The links between speed metal & European power metal definitely give The Guardians a strong case but if you look at many of the top speed metal releases you'll find that plenty are also tagged with thrash so I could honestly go either way on this. Perhaps Andi is right & it needs a detailed deep dive to come up with an informed decision.

Then lemme take a crack at it.  First, lemme say that I'm 100% what you said about the difference between thrash and speed.  Take bands like Exciter.  Each song is basically an attempt at being a fast and energetic hard rock song, which is basically the most generic form you can takes.  ADX falls in this category as well.  Power metal is different in the sense that it's a much more anthemic and dramatic genre, where as thrash is almost entirely about riffage, which is where technicality comes in as well.

In the context of neoclassical metal, it doesn't require the bombast of symphonic metal and is much closer to a progressive sound than it is to a power sound.  But because there was never a scene, the term can get loose.  A good outlier would be the difference between two different albums: Under the Force of Courage by Galneryus which is more focuses on the complexity that classical has shown before, and Dawn of Victory by Rhapsody, which is more focuses on the vibe and sound of classical in general in a more cinematic way.  Basically, the difference between speed and thrash is mostly the same difference between symphonic and neoclassical: presence vs. technicality.

At least this is the basic rundown of how I see it.  Now power metal is RELATED in the sense that it can attach itself to these four genres like it was nothing.  Power thrash is a relatively easy combination to make, as proven by early Iced Earth, Imagika and Parodox.  However, as far as comparing relations goes, power metal doesn't often get confused with anything except the US brand, which is less bombastic and more focuses on heavy metal roots.

Take bands like Exciter.  Each song is basically an attempt at being a fast and energetic hard rock song, which is basically the most generic form you can takes. 

I have to admit that I disagree. Exciter always had a few slower heavy metal tracks included (at least on their first three records which are ones I'm most familiar with) & those were usually the ones I liked best as I generally find heavy metal to be more appealing than speed metal. I always found Exciter to be a combination of Venom, Motorhead & Black Sabbath & albums like "Violence & Force" & "Long Live The Loud" offer almost as much heavy metal as they do speed metal in my opinion.

I was mostly speaking from the mindset of Heavy Metal Maniac.  But still, speed is more about that attitudinal energy, which is The Pit's signature trait.

I'd suggest that a decent portion of "Heavy Metal Maniac" was slower heavy metal numbers too actually.  Off the top of my head I can remember "Holocaust", "Iron Dogs" & "Black Witch" all falling into that category.

I don't remember that.  I remember it being pretty samey, but then again it has been a year.  Still, whatever speed tracks are on that album might be very good, but stylistically they're market brand.

Still, whatever speed tracks are on that album might be very good, but stylistically they're market brand.

It's probably worth mentioning that "Heavy Metal Maniac" was the first genuine speed metal record ( along with Acid's self-titled debut)  so I'm sure it didn't sound particularly vanilla at the time.

So I've decided to take up Andi's request for me to do a deep dive into the Speed Metal genre & review our current position on which clan it should rightfully sit under given that one of our competitors has recently labelled it as a subgenre of Heavy Metal. Let's see how we go then.

Agent Steel - "Unstoppable Force" (1987)

I’ve always loved Los Angeles’ speed metal outfit Agent Steel’s 1985 debut album “Skeptics Apocalypse” & it’s been firmly entrenched as one of my favourite speed metal records for many years now so it’s high time I investigated some of the band’s later material, isn’t it? Their 1987 sophomore effort “Unstoppable Force” seemed to be the logical place to start as it’s almost as highly regarded by their fan base & would apparently maintain the speed metal sound of the debut. Let’s see how it fairs in comparison then, shall we?

The production job on “Unstoppable Force” leaves a fair bit to be desired as it’s very raw & quite tinny. This isn’t anything all that unusual for the time however I’m not sure it’s an ideal fit for Agent Steel whose sound is a little more polished than that. The music is certainly very thrashy however & I maintain my position that Agent Steel offer just as much legitimate thrash metal as they do speed metal. It’s just that they also include a few tracks that sit firmly in the classic heavy metal camp so the speed metal tag makes for a happy medium.

There’s a lovely energy to most of the nine tracks on offer with the A side being packed with most of the more aggressive material. The B side is where you’ll see the band slowing things down & adding a bit more melody on a few tracks but I do have to say that I prefer the more up-tempo Agent Steel material over the more traditional heavy metal numbers like “Still Searchin” & “Nothin’ Left” which I find to be a little flat in comparison. In saying that though, closing ballad “Traveler” ends up being one of the album highlights for me along with the thrash-tastic opening title track.

The most notable element of the album though is clearly the vocal contribution of front man John Cyriis whose performance was always going to be polarizing. He displays an over the top theatricality that certainly won’t be for everyone & has bitten off a bit more than he can chew here in my opinion. It's a bit of a shame that John often comes across like a late-night cat fight in the back alley with his pitchy high-pitched squeals & air-raid siren style dive bombs. Thankfully though the instrumental component of the album is excellent with loads of quality riffs & some wonderfully shredding lead solos.

Overall, “Unstoppable Force” makes for an acceptable follow-up to “Skeptics Apocalypse”, if not one that offers the same level of appeal. The production job probably doesn’t help but it’s not really a deterrent either as I’m pretty used to that sort of thing after all these years of indulging in underground metal. If only the producer & his fellow band mates would just have pulled Cyriis into line a bit & told him to tone down the theatrics then we might have had a much stronger product on our hands. As it is though we get a reasonably enjoyable speed metal record that’s unlikely to hit too many best-of lists.

For fans of Helstar, Exciter & Ranger.

3.5/5

"Unstoppable Force" clearly sits more comfortably under The Pit than it does The Guardians in my opinion & totally fits in with my long-standing opinion that people are fooled into thinking that speed metal is closer to heavy metal than thrash metal by the fact that there are usually a few heavy metal numbers included on every speed metal record in order to break up the potential monotony of an album that maintains a high tempo throughout.

Bewitcher - "Under The Witching Cross" (2019)

I hadn’t heard much of Portland-based trio Bewitcher before checking this 2019 sophomore album out as a part of my speed metal deep dive but they’ve got a little bit to offer to tell you the truth. Their sound isn’t anything new by any means as Venom, Motorhead & Bathory’s debut album pretty much summed this style up in the early 1980’s but the production & execution are excellent which gives the song-writing every opportunity to dig its teeth in.

There’s an obvious blackened component to front man Matteo Von Bewitcher’s grim vocal delivery that might never challenge the likes of Quorthon for raw evil but certainly gives Bewitcher an extra layer of street credibility. In fact, tracks like opening blackened speed metal anthem “Savage Lands of Satan” & black ‘n’ roll banger “In The Sign Of The Goat” even push out into extreme metal territory but Bewitcher’s music isn’t to be taken too seriously. It’s purely made up of fun-loving, beer-drinking party-time tunes for long-haired scallywags who are looking for a good time with the mates their parents told them not to associate with. It’s certainly a speed metal release but it’s one that keeps one foot in the rock ‘n’ roll camp while doubling down on the Satanism at the same time. Although it was never intended to change anyone’s lives, you can’t help but buy into the energy that Bewitcher possess in their composition & performances.

For fans of Hellripper, Bat & Bütcher.

3.5/5

Once again, this one sits more comfortably in The Pit than it would in The Guardians in my opinion.

Rage - "Reign of Fear" (1986)

It’s hard to believe that German stalwarts Rage have released 25 full-length albums in their recording career to date & that many of them have been quite popular yet a diehard metalhead like myself who likes to pride himself on his overarching knowledge of the scene has still yet to experience even a single one of these albums in full after something like 38 years of obsessive metal indulgence but that appears to be the situation here. I was certainly aware of what Rage sound like as I was exposed to bits & pieces of albums like 1990’s “Reflections Of A Shadow” on underground metal radio programs back in my formative years but I have to admit that they never quite seemed like something that’d interest me & it would seem that my suspicions may have been on the money based on the evidence at hand after visitng their 1986 debut album “Reign of Fear” over the last couple of days.

“Reign Of Fear” sees Rage beginning life as a more than decent metal band with a couple of different strings to their bow. In one corner you have the clear influence of the thrash metal which was obviously achieving world domination at the time, most of which would present itself in the form of a simpler meat-&-potatoes brand of speed metal with the crudely performed vocals of front man Peter “Peavy” Wagner giving Rage a distinctly German sound. Then you have the Judas Priest worshipping heavy metal that was so pivotal in molding the local scene through bands like Grave Digger, Running Wild & Avenger. The tracklisting tends to hop between the two styles with consistent regularity but I wouldn’t say that it causes the experience to come across as random or unfocused. It seems kinda natural for Rage to be honest & the band performs their jobs admirably for the most part, proving themselves to have a decent understanding of the tools required to make an enjoyable metal record. Unfortunately no one told poor Peavy though as his performance behind the microphone leaves much to be desired. Staying in key was a big problem for Wagner at the time & he ends up making a real meal of things but is probably not helped by some dodgy song-writing at times too.

In fairness “Reign of Fear” starts off really well with the first couple of tracks leaving me feeling very positive about its prospects. I found the second song “Deceiver” to be particularly appealing & regard it as the album highlight but things descend very quickly after that & I’m not sure that any of the remaining seven tracks offer much of interest with the awful “Chaste Flesh” being a clear low point for the album. I’m not sure if it’s just a taste thing but I definitely enjoyed the slower & more traditional heavy metal tracks a lot less than most of the thrashier material. Speed metal anthem “Hand of Glory” even hints at the early German power metal sound which isn’t really my bag either it has to be said but look… I don’t think it’s a genre thing. It’s definitely a quality issue as the speed metal material enjoys a stronger allocation of the run time & I’m always open to well written, executed & produced heavy metal. This stuff just sounds a bit second-rate, kinda like the first couple of Running Wild albums.

1986 was a huge year for the thrashier end of metal & Rage had a big opportunity to capitalize on that buzz if they could get it right, especially given the timing of this release. Sadly, I feel that they missed the bus a bit & that’s perhaps why I’ve not ended up giving them a crack before now.

For fans of early Running Wild/Helloween & 80’s Blind Guardian.

3/5

This release is a little tougher to pigeonhole as far what clan it would best sit under as the tracklisting is kinda equally split. In saying that though, there are a number of heavy metal tracks included here & the vast majority of the speed metal numbers are best suited to The Pit. That kinda buys into what I said earlier in this thread about speed metal records often muddying the waters through the inclusion of slower heavy metal tracks to break up the monotony of consistently high-tempo thrashers. It is worth noting though that I do think one of the speed metal tracks "Suicide" would likely fit better under The Guardians than The Pit though so I'm still open to both sides of the argument going into the rest of this deep dive.

Midnight - "Let There Be Witchery" (2022)

The reputation of Cleveland-based solo artist Midnight certainly precedes him. He’s developed somewhat of a cult following in underground metal circles over the years with a level of mystery surrounding him at all times. A part of his appeal certainly lies within his attachment of a Satanic image to a more accessible speed/heavy metal sound but if anything that idea has probably seen me shying away from his releases to be honest. Now I find myself presented with the challenge of reviewing his latest opus in the brand new “Let There Be Witchery” album though & I have to say that I feel up to the task.

I can’t say that I was all that surprised by what I heard upon first listen to tell you the truth because the Venom & Motörhead comparisons are right on the money from a stylistic point of view. There’s a truckload of punk & hard rock about Midnight’s sound & (as with Motörhead) much of this material teeters on the edge of not being metal at all if you wanna get technical about it. I mean the guitar solos are bluesy as fuck & the strummy open-string chords that make up many of the songs don’t have much of a relation to Black Sabbath or Iron Maiden but there’s something about the atmosphere that Midnight creates that ties it all back to our beloved metal with Athenar’s gruff vocals almost commanding it in a similar way to Cronos’ or Lemmy’s. They’re not blackened by any means but they do seem to come from the same sort of heritage, only in a third generation capacity if you know what I mean.

The appeal in Midnight’s sound really comes in the song-writing & execution though with all of these songs possessing plenty of space & some very solid hooks that dig their teeth in nicely without requiring too much effort. The song-structures are very simple & traditional which gives them a level of familiarity but the bright, crystal clear production job sees them growing another limb. “WTF!?” I hear you say? “That’s hardly in line with Venom or Motorhead’s model now, is it?” Damn right it’s not but it really seems to work for Midnight here & I struggle not tap my foot along to track after track of this infectiously fun little speed/heavy metal record.

Midnight may not sit anywhere near my musical comfort zone but perhaps that’s part of their appeal because they do make for a very enjoyable holiday from the seriousness of modern metal. There’s a freshness to their sound that sees them carving out their own niche even though they certainly harness the bands I’ve already mentioned & this sees Midnight commanding a positive response from an audience that will do very well not to comply.

For fans of Motörhead, Speedwolf & Venom.

3.5/5

This release was actually very hard to pigeon-hole as I don't think it's technically a speed metal record. Of the ten tracks I'd suggest that there's just as much punk & hard rock as there is speed metal & there's probably a little more heavy metal. I'd even label the energetic opener as black 'n' roll". If I have to pick sides I'd suggest that it resides a little closer to The Guardians than it does to The Pit but once again this is because it's not a pure speed metal release which muddies the waters significantly. In fact, I'll be creating a Hall of Judgement entry for this one because there's absolutely no reason that Midnight's other releases should command dual speed metal & heavy metal tags but this one should not.

Abattoir - "Vicious Attack" (1985)

Los Angeles speed metallers Abattoir are one of those bands that most old-school metalheads are probably aware of but few have actually heard & I fitted into that category pretty comfortably until this week when I decided to investigate their 1985 debut album “Vicious Attack” as a part of my speed metal deep dive. I’d suggest that the cover art likely hasn’t helped that situation as it displays a particularly dodgy image that comes across as kinda creepy by today’s standards but it wasn’t anything all that unusual at the time with bands like Scorpions doing their level best to push the threshold of what was considered to be acceptable by the morality police.

Abattoir had surprisingly been around for a full seven years by the time this record was released & I’d imagine that their style had changed significantly in that time as the sound “Vicious Attack” is pushing is heavily influenced by releases that came a little after the late 1970’s. If speed metal is essentially the mid-point between heavy metal & thrash metal then Abattoir have done a very good job at nailing down the concept with seven of the eight tracks included fitting the bill nicely. The slower “The Living & The Dead” is probably the only inclusion in the tracklisting that sees them veering towards the more controlled tempos of your traditional heavy metal model but it’s positioning right in the middle of the album sees it serving to break things up a bit by giving the listener a moment of respite from the relentless energy the rest of the material unceremoniously shoves down your throat.

In many regards “Vicious Attack” is the sum of three major influences. For starters you have the early 80’s Motorhead sound being replicated as accurately as I’ve ever heard it with Abattoir even opting for a very decent cover version of the title track from “Ace Of Spades” which may just be the album highlight. Then you have a clear Dianno-period Iron Maiden influence with front man Steve Gaines’ voice showcasing a distinct similarity to Paul's & the use of guitar harmonies & galloping rhythms providing further homage to the greatest NWOBHM band of all. And finally (& to a slightly lesser extent) you'll likely pick up on the impact of Metallica’s 1983 debut album “Kill ‘Em All” with particular reference being made to the more speed metal focused numbers like “Hit The Lights”, “Motorbreath” & “Phantom Lord”. Gaines also touches on James Hetfield’s early vocal approach in his angrier moments too. Now those are some pretty big names, aren’t they? And to their credit Abattoir do a pretty good job of presenting those influences in a way that summarizes the various elements without crossing the line into pure plagiarism all that often (well… I do have to admit that some of the Motorhead worship is pretty damn obvious).

The production job is particularly rough & ready, even for a mid-80’s speed metal record. I’d be very surprised if this wasn’t intentional & a play at creating a similar vibe to Lemmy & his cohorts. It works for the most part too & I find myself losing myself in the reckless abandon of a band that sounds like they’re in the prime of their youth & without a care in the world. The limiter here is really that there’s not a lot of substance beneath the surface. There's no doubt that Abattoir create some outrageously fun metal music that will inevitably get any drunken teenage party rocking but I wouldn’t say that there’s a lot of depth to their music which is not something you could about some of their influences (like Iron Maiden for example). The short 28 minute run time certainly helps as “Vicious Attack” doesn’t come close to overstaying its welcome but when all is said & done I can’t say that feel like I want to return to the album all that much even though it's unquestionably an enjoyable experience. Perhaps that’s a problem for speed metal in general as the fundamental premise of the music certainly leaves itself open to those sort of feelings but I do tend to think there’s scope for a more significant creative statement within the genre.

At the end of the day though, I’d suggest that its best not to over-think things when it comes to a more than decent underground speed metal record like Abattoir have produced here. Instead, I’d recommend chugging a beer, ripping your shirt off & banging your head till your brain feels like mush because the overall winner will almost always be metal. Abattoir know that well & so does your mum which is why she tried to encourage you to stay away from inherently naughty music like Abattoir have produced here. It’s the work of Satan, you see.

For fans of Exciter, Agent Steel & Warrant (GER).

3.5/5

This one really saw me torn as to what clan it's more closely aligned with as there's a case for both The Guardians & The Pit. I think I'm gonna have to go with The Guardians on this occasion though as I think there's more Motorhead & Iron Maiden on offer than there is Metallica. That result now sees this race being opened up a bit at the halfway mark so it'll be interesting to see how it finishes up.

Speedwolf - "Riding With Death" (2011)

I first discovered Denver-based speed metal four-piece Speedwolf while selecting tracks for the monthly The Pit Spotify playlist in mid-2021 & quite enjoyed what I heard. The opening title track from their sole 2011 full-length album “Ride With Death” opened in very similar fashion to the highly influential opener from Metallica’s seminal 1983 debut album “Kill ‘Em All before burning off at high speed & it was hard not to buy into the band’s ability to simply not give a fuck. I casually pencilled Speedwolf in as a band to check out at some point & received further encouragement when their more traditional heavy metal number “Up All Night” popped up in a subsequent playlist later on that year. Would the rest of “Ride With Death” live up that potential though? Let’s take a look & find out.

Well, I was always confident that “Ride With Death” would open well with the two tracks I was already familiar with leading off in quick succession but the first thing that any reasonably well educated metalhead will discover is the blatantly obvious Motörhead worship going on as Speedwolf have clearly been guilty of placing the godfathers of filthy speed metal on a lofty pedestal. Frontman Reed Bruemmer does a stellar job at replicating Lemmy’s signature grunt but gives it his own twist which leaves him sounding a little more sinister in my opinion while (much like their idols) some of the punky open-string riffs have a little more to do with hardcore & hard rock than they do with metal. Richie Tice’s wonderful machine-gun style double kick work does an excellent job at erasing any tendency to look outside of the metal space when tagging “Ride With Death” however & his performance is one of the highlights of the Speedwolf sound as he goes about ensuring that the band sound as tight as a motherfucker throughout this 41 minute effort with workman-like efficiency.

The production job on “Ride With Death” is spot on for this style of music by effectively highlighting Speedwolf’s unbridled energy through the relentless barrage of up-tempo thrashers. There’s a consistent clarity to the album that doesn’t ever detract from the authenticity of the band’s 80’s focused sound with Tice's powerful kick-drum sound remaining the centrepiece with which the rest of the music is built around. The album is also helped by some high quality performances from the other band members who show a lot more technique & attention to detail than most of their speed metal peers which is probably the main differentiator with a band like Speedwolf. They’re very much a modern take on an old concept.

If speed metal is essentially the mid-point between thrash metal & traditional heavy metal then Speedwolf sit right bang on the line between the two & are arguably the one of the purest bands in the speed metal crowd. Their speed-freak mentality is rarely diluted too much, despite the inclusion of a few tracks that I regard as being closer to heavy metal than to genuine speed metal (see “Up All Night”, “Time To Annihilate” & “Hell & Back”). Speedwolf's tempos are much more in line with thrash than they are with heavy metal but the use of open-string (rather than palm-muted) riffs definitely has a different timbre to thrash metal & the regular inclusion of melodic lead guitar lines also sees things being pulled back by the heavy metal crowd. Never fear thrashers, you still get your fair share of palm-muted tremolo-picking when the band decide to drop the shackles but they've adopted a mixture of both approaches here which makes it hard to pick a winner. The only obvious change-up track comes in the form of "Death Ripper" which sees Speedwolf heading into black 'n' roll territory temporarily with Bruemmer pivoting towards a blackened snarl to good effect which is a welcome addition.

This is punky & quite repetitive metal music for a working class audience & makes for the perfect soundtrack for drunken bar fights between scary looking biker types. It’s relatively simple in its conception & execution but possesses a class & professionalism that boosts it above a lot of the competition. Even though the album isn’t all that lengthy, the twelve song tracklisting does feel a bit long, mainly due to the lack of variety on offer. It’s also a bit unfortunate that Speedwolf chose to end things with the weakest track on the album in the unintelligent “Denver 666” which isn't done any favours by being positioned right after the excellent title track (the clear standout track on the album for mine). Still… I can’t deny that I had a lot of fun with “Ride With Death”. Is it enough to see me wanting to return to it regularly though? I doubt it as it just doesn’t offer enough depth for that but I can’t see it disappointing too many people either.

For fans of Motörhead, Midnight & Venom.

3.5/5

I honestly couldn't split this one between the two clans & it's pretty obvious why I'm even having to conduct this deep dive in the first place on the evidence of an album like "Riding With Death" which should appeal to both The Guardians & The Pit audiences in roughly equal measure.

Exciter - "Unveiling The Wicked" (1986)

Canada’s Exciter may not have invented the speed metal sound as it was already evident in parts of earlier releases from the likes of Venom however there can be very little doubt that they were the first ones to place the majority of their focus on that style of metal along with Belgium’s Acid. Exciter’s first three albums (released between 1983-85) are still widely regarded as pivotal records in the history of the speed metal genre today & rightly so too. If you’re an old-school thrasher like myself then it’s very unlikely that you’ve managed to steer completely clear of the influence of seminal releases like 1983's “Heavy Metal Maniac” over the several decades since. People with more than a passing knowledge of the band’s later material seem to be a little less common though so perhaps it's not all that surprising that someone like myself has never heard any of Exciter’s material after 1985’s very solid “Long Live The Loud” album (which just happens to be my favourite speed metal release of all time). I have to admit that I went into 1986’s fourth album “Unveiling The Wicked” with a fair amount of trepidation though as the band’s post-1985 material isn’t exactly raved about.

Your first challenge with a record like “Unveiling The Wicked” comes in the form of the horrendous cover artwork as it’s honestly about as woeful as it gets, even by the notoriously low standards of mid-80’s speed metal. It’s so clear that the woman on the cover is really peeling some fake green rubber OFF her face rather than the other way around which leaves you wondering if SHE is really “the wicked” as opposed to the gremlin that’s intended. It all seems so low-grade that it has the effect of significantly diminishing your expectations of the songs contained within before you’ve even pressed play. Then once you do build up the courage to check out the actual music you’re immediately confronted with an empty, muted production job that sounds like the band is playing in the distance. This flawed packaging is certainly not an ideal platform for the band to wet people’s appetites with but the music doesn’t exactly set the world on fire either it has to be said.

Exciter have always had a significant heavy metal component in their sound with bands like Black Sabbath & Judas Priest playing just as strong a role in the creation of their style as Motorhead or Venom but “Unveiling The Wicked” sees that classic heavy metal influence taking the ascendency & I no longer think it’s accurate to call this record a speed metal release. It sounds far too lethargic for that but definitely isn’t helped by the flat production. We also see pockets of commercial hard rock popping up across the tracklisting & it’s hard not to suggest that there’s a been a bit of a cash-grab attempt going on here. New guitar shredder Brian McPhee shows himself to be quite talented through some quite accomplished solos & the band tries to milk that through an ill-timed shot at creating their own version of Eddie Van Halen’s “Eruption” in the one & a half minute “Brainstorm” interlude. It unfortunately comes across as an obvious example of plagiarism & placing it as the second track on the album was clearly a bad call as the energy just kinda dies even though the track itself is one of the more interesting inclusions. Following it up with two commercially focused shockers in the dumb “Die In The Night” & the immature cheese of “(I Hate) School Rules” is even more baffling, as is the fact that the former seems to be the most highly regarded track on the album (do people not have ears any more?). Thankfully Exciter give us some reasonable quality at the end of the record with the final two tracks being clearly the best of the tracklisting (my personal favourite being the most speed metal oriented inclusion on the album in “Live Fast, Die Young”) but this does leave you asking why they’d left it all so late because the damage was already done by that point.

I know some people will disagree with me here but I find the other major weakness to be drummer Dan Behler’s vocals. His shrieking banshee-like delivery is so repetitive & showcases a very limited range & ability which leaves me wondering why it hasn’t been so noticeable on previous records. Perhaps it’s the slower tempos & less aggressive feel of these tracks that sees Dan’s limitations being more obvious in a noticeably less violent soundscape? That does sound pretty logical but let’s be honest… Dan was never an amazing vocalist to begin with.

“Unveiling The Wicked” is easily a couple of steps down from Exciter’s first three albums & I’d suggest that it’s a far from essential release in the speed metal story, especially given that it’s actually a heavy metal record parading around in speed metal attire. It reminds me very much of fellow Canadians Anvil in its various mediocrities & I have to wonder if there's some sort of relation there given the timing & locality of the two bands. It's also hard to imagine that Exciter has a full seven albums to come after this one & that none of them are even regarded as highly as this one. I can’t say I’ll be rushing out to investigate those just quietly.

For fans of Raven, Acid & Anvil.

2.5/5

This album is an easy one to place in The Guardians as it's not really a speed metal release at all. As a result, it likely won't be taken into account in my final judgement on which clan I feel speed metal should ultimately belong to.

Black Viper - "Hellions of Fire" (2018)

I wasn’t acquainted with Norway’s Black Viper prior to approaching their sole full-length album as a part of this month's speed metal deep dive. I’d certainly seen their name around the traps but had never seriously considered investigating them further & had no real understanding of what they might offer me. So I guess that’s seen me go into “Hellions of Fire” with no preconceived notions on what I was likely to be presented with & it was a bit of a surprise to discover that they own quite an impressive pedigree in Norwegian metal. Bassist Christoffer Brathan played with thrash metal outfit Condor, drummer Cato Stormoen is the current skinsman for another Norwegian thrash metal staple in Deathhammer while guitarist Arild Myren Torp is a current member of wonderfully talented thrashers Nekromantheon as well as highly regarded death metallers Obliteration so given that they’ve only released the one demo & a single album in their decade-long existence thus far it would seem that Black Viper are a bit of a supergroup side project for several important figures in the local Norwegian scene. Well, if that is in fact the case then they’ve made a pretty good fist of it here as “Hellions of Fire” is a more than respectable effort.

The 48 minute album is made up of seven lengthy tracks that rarely deviate from the relentless pursuit of high velocity metal. For this reason it can appear to be a fairly imposing prospect after the first listen or two & I’d suggest that it could certainly have been shortened a bit in the interest of making for a more palatable package for the average consumer. I mean I’m not sure fun speed metal anthems really need to be over three minutes in length but here we have seven that range from four & a half minutes to an epic ten & a half minutes in duration. That’s not to say that you’ll ever get bored per se as there’s always something exciting transpiring but it can seem like a constant flurry of activity at times with the song-writing seeming to be in an awful hurry for much of the album’s run time.

The modern clarity of the production job gives these tunes added life that the band’s forefathers may not have been blessed with & it’s nice to be able to so easily identify the basslines in the mix. It has to be said that the performances of the three instrumentalists are outstanding too which shouldn’t be any surprise given their credentials. The Destruction influence that is so obvious in Arild Myren Trop’s other band Nekromantheon is just as visible here through the regular inclusion of melodic lead runs within the riffs & that element tends to keep me clear of any genuine tendency to want to reach for comparisons with thrash despite the consistently high tempos. There’s no doubt that this is the style of speed metal that the European power metal movement borrows from so regularly but there’s only really the occasional hint at that genre, particularly on the old demo track “Freedom’s Reign” which I unsurprisingly find to be one of the weaker inclusions on the album. “Quest For Power/The Fountain Of Might” sees Black Viper taking a swing at your more traditional heavy metal sound amidst all the chaos but it’s never long before you find the tremolo-picked speed metal riffage returning to the fold to have you thrashing your limbs around the bedroom again & I’d suggest that “Hellions of Fire” is one of the more pure examples of the genre you’ll find.

There’s a genuine passion to the way Black Viper go about their business as they clearly live for this shit. I’d suggest that I might not have enjoyed their 2016 “Storming With Vengeance” demo though as two of its three tracks are the ones that I don’t get as much enjoyment from here. The band’s real weakness though is in the higher register vocals of Salvador Almijo whose voice isn’t really up to the job in my opinion. He certainly has some pipes on him but he often wanders out of key & his overly flamboyant delivery definitely places a cap on how far the appeal of a record like this one can extend for me personally. Perhaps that’s more of an indicator of my musical preferences than anything else but I don’t tend to think so because I find the rest of Black Viper’s offering to be quite appealing.

I suspect that very few speed metal fans will find Black Viper’s debut album to be a disappointment. It’s a well written, produced & executed example of the genre with a more modern edge to it & it begs the question of why the band haven’t gotten around to following it up. Perhaps it really was just a side-project intended to tick an item off their bucket lists & if that was the case then I'd suggest that it’s been very successful in fulfilling that requirement. I’m just not sure that it’s enough to draw me back for regular revisits though.

For fans of Mystik, Chevalier & Agent Steel.

3.5/5

Despite the occasional appearance of heavy metal & power metal influences, this one clearly sits more comfortably alongside the faster, thrashier releases of The Pit than it does The Guardians.