RAIDER - Guardian Of The Fire
April 29, 2020, 4 years ago
(Independent)
Canadian thrashy death metal warriors Raider’s first full-length (one EP Urge To Kill in 2018), for fans of Remains/Arise era Sepultura, Skeletonwitch, but mostly Exmortus - how they lock in to groove, tempo changes, crushing riff assaults, balanced with melodic leads and breaks in the music.
“Bound By Fate” is a pretty relentless opener, broken up by the lead section. The vocals are not pure death, some Dimmu Borgir style evil black inflections filters in, see “No Sign Of The Dawn”, which has a great mid pace punch. This song reminds me of older Witchery. “Guardian Of The Flame” eases in, flows well between tempos, “Infernal Justice” rages for six minutes with an acrobatic lead section, and a “Ravenous Hydra”…well, you just can’t argue with that title. Eight tracks that fulfill all your needs for this sound and style. This type of thrashy death metal is my speed where the music is not overly brutal, catchy in its own punishing way, places for melody, a vocal that is discernable with personality, and well-produced.
