It’s really no surprise that Raging Speedhorn are still packing a punch after 27 years. Living up to their moniker (an amphetamine-induced erection), the band has ploughed their way through a career that has thrown up more than a few obstacles and in the process have left a trail of critically acclaimed albums in their wake. With the band’s new vocal tag team of Dan Cook and Frank Regan bedded in and guitarist Daf Williams joining their ranks, it is time for the band to prove their mettle once again and they confidently step up to the plate with their latest long player, Night Wolf.
Attesting to a musical education and a sense of maturity, Raging Speedhorn don’t feel the need to come out with all fists flying, rather they build an air of tension with a discordant burst of feedback. It acts as a warning to the curious and means that when the band kick in at the one-minute mark, they kick in hard. ‘Blood Red Sky’ is a swirling maelstrom with which to suck the listener into their world and once caught up within their tempest, there’s really no way out. The vocals are working well together; the gruff and gruffer creating an ominous tone following a path cleared by the bombastic rhythm section. The twin guitar assault are a pair of circular saws cutting the air with razor sharp rhythms and it gives the band an untouchable quality; like an unruly street gang, you can’t get too close, they’ve got all angles covered.
Several Speedhorn albums have been threaded together by loose themes and Night Wolf is no exception. As the title suggests, this album deals with the nocturnal realm and draws its aesthetic from ‘80s movies like Teen Wolf and Back To The Future. And while the sleeve might be a neon homage to Michael J. Fox, the sound contained within is far more gritty and deals with the dark underbelly of the night time world. ‘Can’t Stop’ brings it like classic Madball (i.e. hard), ‘Every Night’s Alright For Fighting’ is a fist suddenly appearing between your eyes whilst the title track is a ten ton hammer come to crush your skull. For this album the band teamed up once again with producer Russ Russell and he’s certainly added a punch to the band’s sound and means this is a record that should really be enjoyed through big, floor-shaking speakers to fully appreciate its humongous production. Tracks such as ‘DOA’ are primetime Raging Speedhorn and come primed for the live environment and are sure to create insane pits wherever they’re unleashed and no more so than caustic closer ‘Dead Reckoning’, a song so incendiary it should really come with a health warning.
Get Night Wolf, get a “raging speedhorn”.
- Night Wolf is released via Spinefarm/UMG on 7th March 2025.
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Track List:
- Blood Red Sky
- Buzz Killer
- The Blood Code
- Can’t Stop
- Every Night’s Alright For Fighting
- Night Wolf
- DOA
- Comin’ In Hard
- Dead Men Can’t Dance
- Dead Reckoning
