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PREDATOR
Unsafe Space

Fighter (2025)
Rating: 7/10

Way back in 1986 a relatively unknown band named Predator released their debut full-length album Easy Prey. It would turn out to be the only thing the California-based outfit would release during that period, but it certainly made its mark as a cult opus, mainly due to the cover and back cover photos showing a masked man stalking a scantily clad female on a beach.

Indicative of its time, Easy Prey briefly captured the imagination of some teenage metalheads before dissolving into history. In 2020, and literally from out of nowhere, Predator returned with a single entitled ‘The Thought Police’. However, it’s impact was minimal to say the least ,but persist they did, returning again in 2024 with the single ‘Saviors’ and then a brace of singles this year in the form of ‘Raping The Population’ and ‘Plague Of The Deceivers’, both of which acted as ideal precursors to this unexpected sophomore effort.

Predator of today is just a duo; original member Jeff Prentice is on vocals and guitar, and he’s joined by bassist Frank Forray (Ninth Circle). Unsafe Space features the last three singles and it’s ‘Saviors’ which opens proceedings, and what’s immediately clear is that this is serious groove based metal far removed from that 80s sound.

Prentice has a strong voice that fits into an understated 90s style of heavy rock and the music is crunchy and bulky, the duo comfortably cruising into a Primal Fear-styled vibe. There’s variety though; ‘Raping The Population’ is pretty late 80s thrash in style but with dollops of melody. The only real criticism here though is that the production is very modern and although warm it seems to layer the whole composition in a cosy safety net, so even when Predator rages, it’s somewhat subdued.

Lyrically, there’s an abundance of serious subject matter here. ‘N.L.M.’ boasts the line “No lives matter, it’s all about the vote” over a crunchy riff, while ‘The Fascism Variant’ kicks off with a news clip pertaining to the pandemic before galloping into a thrash chug. “Pandemic, virus manufactured in lab,” croons Prentice and you just know where this one is going!

All the tracks presented are robust rockers that fluidly sit between US power metal and thrash. ‘Violent Objection’ echoes with Prentice’s words, “Nightfall comes, the cities burn, leaders tell us it’s your turn” over another metallic gallop. ‘A New Civil War’ is one of the weaker tracks where the vocals – which, rather oddly, remind me of former Faith No More frontman Chuck Mosley – somehow seem displaced from the music and both voice and music is rather tepid.

Predator also throw in an interesting yet dreadful cover of The Mamas & Papas track ‘California Dreamin’’, and the less said about it the better, but for the most part Unsafe Space is a decent album that’s instantly accessible, simple and hard rockin.

Neil Arnold

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