Speedwhore "The Future is Now"

    With a name to upset a wholesome puritan and a sound to win over a group of black/thrash/speed metal fans who sit in front of buildings to scare people away, Speedwhore looks take the metal world by storm with their intense evil sounding release, “The Future is Now.”

    This debut album was released by the label, Witches Brew. After reviewing a fair amount of Witches Brew artists before, I can hear why Speedwhore is on the label. There is a classic extreme element to this group of German based musicians. You get a diverse blend of early black metal and hard hitting old school thrash and speed metal. The singer even tries to scream like King Diamond during certain songs which adds a sinister element to the music. Lyrically I find the band to offer nothing different from the usual groups I have come across who play this style of music. Now, what helps Speedwhore standout a bit is their dark and harsh instrumental compositions.

    The opening instrumental piece, “Requiem Mass,” has this haunting cinematic vibe going on. You feel like you are floating through darkness into unholy dimensions where ancient monsters sleep waiting to destroy the Earth. Soon after the band breaks into the song, “The Call.” Their chaotic black thrash sound hacks away at the ears with rapid drums and intense speed driven riffs. Track number three, “Grand War,” continues the band’s skull ripping style of metal without anytime to catch a breath. I am blown away at how the singer is able growl like a hound of Hades and then all of sudden scream his ass off like a banshee.
   
    Now, if I were to pick a favorite song on the album, I would chose “Secret Science.” I here some classic doom metal mixed with black metal which reminded me a little of Hellhammer. Also, there are these bizarre high pitched electronic noises that sound as if the band was recording the song for some dark science fiction film. “Camp 44,” is another solid track and maintains a vicious thrash presentation the whole way through. The drummer and guitar player seem to be beating the hell out of their instruments, because the musical intensity never stops! 

    Towards the end of the album, Speedwhore summons up three killer tracks: “Genetic Invasion,” “The Future is Now,” and “Wither on the Vine.” The riffs are not exactly technical, but there is this extreme passion that goes into each note. “The Future is Now,” definitely caught my attention, especially when the chorus hits and the singer screams over the morbid sounding riff. The final song, “Wither on the Vine,” ends with a similar sounding instrumental to that of the opening track. Speedwhore’s bass player comes up with some great bass lines. He definitely captures that doom like style as the music fades away.

    I think Speedwhore’s, “The Future is Now,” is a solid release from beginning to end. Is it the future of metal? Probably not, but I enjoyed how they took a variety of different metal styles and made their own brutal sound. Highly worth checking out if you like black/thrash/speed metal and want to frighten the neighbors on a Sunday afternoon.  

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