In the early to mid-2000s, Raging Speedhorn fused elements of hardcore, rock ‘n roll, and sludge/groove metal together in ways that had just as much swagger and catchiness as they did raw aggression. Their earlier days had some borderline nu-metal influence (particularly the self-titled 2000 debut), but as time went on they sometimes felt like a UK parallel to Lamb of God that still had plenty of unique nuances like an emphasis on two vocalists. Following 2007’s Before the Sea Was Built, Raging Speedhorn disbanded for around six years before returning in 2016 with Lost Ritual and Hard to Kill in 2020. Since that time the band has been through further change, as Lost Ritual featured the two original vocalists while Hard to Kill saw Daniel Cook take over for John Laughlin. This year’s Night Wolf, the band’s seventh full length, also debuts new guitarist Daf Williams, and it’s clear that this current incarnation is just as razor sharp as in the past. Coming in at around thirty-four minutes with plenty of big hooks that blur the lines between each style Raging Speedhorn has explored before while also trying some new things, this is a strong showing from this veteran act.
The core of Night Wolf is focused on dense grooves and faster tempos that mix elements of sludge and rock ‘n roll, but there are moments throughout that make it clear Raging Speedhorn is continuing to naturally push their sound outwards. Opener “Blood Red Sky” is a great example, as it kicks off with a haunting and almost tribal sounding melody before a weightier groove comes bursting in. From there the group intertwines this pummeling foundation with airier melodies and different rhythms that give it a slightly different feel from the usual sludgy rock ‘n roll and groove metal type of sound. “Buzz Killer” then transitions over to a slow burning groove that lets the bass do a lot of the heavy lifting, making for another early highlight. Night Wolf does a good job of moving between more direct numbers where the riffs are high energy and in your face for the entire run time (“DOA”) and ones that slow down a bit to let some grimy atmosphere seep in (“The Blood Code”). “Comin’ In Hard” even injects some piano into the mix, capturing a similar raw rock ‘n roll feel as Kvelertak. If Hard to Kill was a distillation of the Raging Speedhorn sound, Night Wolf comes across like it’s taken that and made some meaningful tweaks that inject some fresh ideas without drastically altering anything. Admittedly a few of the more direct tracks do run together slightly over repeat listens, but many of these hooks have stuck with me since that first listen and made me want to blast this album on repeat.
Dual vocals has been an important part of Raging Speedhorn’s music from the beginning, and Night Wolf marks the first time that Daniel Cook has been fully integrated into the writing process. As a result, the way that he and Frank Regan trade off vocals is very fluid and injects quite a bit of extra intensity into each song. Between the two of them there’s a slew of different pitches, covering everything from lower growls, higher screams/yells, and even some gruffer singing that is just as abrasive. This combination of vocals really feels like a true intertwine of hardcore and metal elements, and the weight of the recording on Night Wolf really makes the performance jump at you more than ever before. They may have been through a few different combinations of singers, but it’s clear that Cook contributes quite a bit to the dynamic and that shines through more than it did on Hard to Kill.
Night Wolf finds Raging Speedhorn doing what they do best, and while a few of the more straightforward tracks run together slightly the amount of stand-out grooves and vocal work makes this a great effort from this long-running band. The album artwork may have you thinking this is some synthwave or glam rock effort if you hadn’t come across this group before, but once you hit the play button you’re in for a dense and swagger filled slice of sludgy hardcore, rock ‘n roll, and everything in between. As they rapidly approach thirty years as a band, Raging Speedhorn shows no signs of letting age get to them. Night Wolf is available from Spinefarm Records.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg