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POUNDER
Faster Than Fire EP

Shadow Kingdom (2018)
Rating: 8/10

Maybe it’s the production – which I like – but this sounds as though it was found in the 80s, forgotten all about, and then unleashed several decades later.

The abruptly named Pounder hail from Los Angeles, and they play straight up heavy metal brimming with beefy riffage, rousing percussion and rough ‘n’ tumble vocals courtesy of Matt Harvey – the same man growling his way through Gruesome as well as numerous other acts.

Pounder is very much a world away from those deathly aesthetics, although this new three-track EP does its best at living up to its title by scorching the ears with a fizzing style of metal that you’d want to play after listening to Exciter and the like. Many a decade ago people were calling this straight-laced style of metal speed metal just because of its velocity and pace that would stretch it out of the norm’ of traditional heavy metal, and so that’s what you get here, all bolstered by the lead work of Tom Draper (Carcass, ex-Primitai, ex-Savage Messiah), who brings the title track to life as a scorching anthem to get the fists pumping and sweat dripping.

Pounder have mastered the art of sounding fresh but nostalgic, seizing the day with a volatile mix of blazing metal haste and killer trad’ metal values whereby New Wave Of British Heavy Metal-styled streaks creep in as the drums… er… pound on. No surprise then that ‘The Last Stand’ and ‘Come Alive’ are rollicking numbers too, Pounder seemingly enthused and aggravated at the same time by their local scene being full of too many watery wannabes and so they strike hard and strike deadly to the thunderous whips of Alejandro Corredor’s bass. While emphasis is on the pace, there’s just so much jam-packed into this EP to the point that it couldn’t be more metal.

If you were lucky enough to hear the band’s 2017 Heavy Metal Disaster demo then Faster Than Fire will only disappoint in that there’s not enough tracks to chew on, but the gloriously wild ‘Come Alive’ should enable you to release enough tension before a full-length riot ensues.

As someone sceptical of bands employing those 80s details, it’s safe to say that Pounder have grabbed the revival scene by the scruff of its neck and thrown it over the top rope in order to conquer the battle royal. The chemistry here between the players is astonishing as those leads merge with smouldering riffs, and the drums and bass combine to build a huge steel wall of flames by which Matt Harvey wails from.

Naturally the strong leathery odours of NWOBHM smother this release, the band happy to nod at all that has gone before as they drive into a power metal pattern, but it’s the quality by which it is all executed which makes it such a mesmerising feast for the eyes and ears.

Neil Arnold

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