Review of Raging Speedhorn - Before The Sea Was Built

As my MR compatriot Ian Duncan-Brown pointed out in his review of this band's third album, How the Great Have Fallen, Raging Speedhorn combines a highly competent blend of thrash, sludge and crust punk. And again, there's a palpable energy, raw and prone to bend in a controlled chaos, clearly commanded by its creators to wiggle its way through intense passages not unlike those found on Mastodon's Leviathan but with stronger punk influences. As entertaining a listen as the last one was, these Brits avoided a slump not by flipping a 180 but by boiling its core elements into 28 minutes of sinewy riffs and swift song structures.

The greatest thing about this band is its ability to incorporate related but individually identifiable influences into one sludgy metal cocktail. I can't tell you how many bands have completely fucked up this formula. They either aim too high or too low. Raging Speedhorn aims straight at the balls and deals a fairly heavy blow. Granted, it's not a KO kind of blow, but it's the kind of blow that leaves you shivering with satisfaction, an overwhelming bliss having taken over your rotten, bloodied and undeserving innards. And with song titles like "Too Drunk to Give a Fuck" and "Dignity Stripper," this album's corrosive spirit will have you clutching the nearest blanket in search of much-needed solace.

One might argue that it takes more to make an album. Where's the ten-minute epic that shifts and shits its way from runny lead to bloated chorus and back again, and why aren't there any acoustic songs to soften the blow and give the band an aura of "all-knowingness?" There's simply no need. Raging Speedhorn understands the game and plays it well. No one is going to want to sit through an hour of this stuff. It's best served quick and heavy with a slight, almost undetectable sense of progression. After all, I can't think of too many bands exploring the same territory with similar force and momentum. This is it. If the combination of sounds entices, treat yourself to a song or two and promptly buy this album. It really is that simple.

Release Details

Raging Speedhorn

Before The Sea Was Built

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