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SPEEDKILLER
Midnight Vampire EP

Helldprod (2020) / Edged Circle (2021)
Rating: 8.5/10

Midnight Vampire is the debut EP from Brazilian act Speedkiller; a volatile quartet who live up to its moniker by belching out a furious flurry of wicked, tumultuous tunes straight from the depths of Hades.

Anyone who is a fan of raw, primitive black thrash that skirts between very early Sepultura and in general that once scary, leather n’ spikes underground feel, should look no further than this surprisingly accessible yet frothing outing.

These guys sound as if they’ve been at it since the 80s and returned from their coffins to choke us on their fumes once again. Indeed, the sound is so authentic that for a moment I found myself back in that time when I’d be receiving grubby old cassettes from across the world showcasing South American talent, even if one often struggled to hear the instruments in those awful recordings that were passed around between fans worldwide.

After a brief intro, we get six hellish lumps of blistering aggression in the form of ‘Nightspell’, ‘Suicide Hell’, ‘Shadow People’, ‘Midnight Vampire’, ‘Valley Of Death’ and ‘Circles Of Blood’. And from the off we are hit by breakneck speed and evil guttural snorts courtesy of Spellcaster, whose raw tones drift into death metal bellows. His guitar attack, accompanied by Summoned, is equally malevolent as the duo embarks on straight forward hell-hammers designed to coat your ears in black wax.

This is classic black thrash created in the Ninth Circle Of Hell, clattering, billowing and all-round primitive as ‘Suicide Hell’ begins where ‘Nightspell’ left off – another harmful dose of ripping speed frantically clanking to the beat of Hellkrätus’ drums and that belching Evilspirit bass.

It’s just one frenzied pit of leathery stuffiness that occasionally stops for a breather, if only to bring a mid-paced slab of menace. The ominous beginning of ‘Shadow People’ is a prime example of how the band offers suspense and darkness before building towards another crescendo of madness. But the chugging rawness of such a track just enforces by belief that Speedkiller is one of the best new bands on the block.

Doom-laden whether trudging or scurrying, the title track is a mass of flailing limbs with infectious drum kicks, and the same can be said for ‘Valley Of Death’, another favourite of mine with its punky rattling.

‘Circles Of Blood’ is a brilliant way to close the album. Beginning with sinister, almost beckoning chords of doom, the guitar drone aches as the drums nod to the miserable drag before a speeding, sizzling kick grabs you by the throat, throws you up against the wall and rips you a new one.

Sure, it’s not life-changing metal, but that was never its intention. However, if you want a record that kicks you in the balls, tips beer over your head then sacrifices you to the deity below, then Speedkiller’s scorching debut hits all the right notes. As the youth of today often say, “this is fire”… literally!

Neil Arnold

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