Raging Speedhorn – Hard To Kill – Album Review

Raging Speedhorn’s two-pronged vocal attack has fallen victim to some kind of twisted wife-swap event of late. New man Dan Cook (he of defunct UK noisy bastards RSJ*) has now filled in/partnered up with both original vocalists Frank Regan and John Loughlin on different occasions. However, Dan’s now fully in the band with the British bulldog that is John Loughlin stepping down entirely in 2019….leaving Frank and Dan to cosy up on new album Hard To Kill.

With that cleared up, where does that leave Raging Speedhorn in 2020?

It leaves us with the fuckin’ Speedhorn still delivering the goods that’s where it leaves us!

Hard to Kill is a screamer, literally and figuratively, as Raging Speedhorn do what they do best; shouts, screams, riffs and sludgy dreams made manifest. Business as usual then for this most reliable of UK metal powerhouses with the likes of “Hammer Down” bringing the hammer down (funny that) with colossal doom riffs, leaden grooves and ferocious vocals caving in your cranium for the sheer hell of it.

Just like Steven Seagal’s habit of eating too many hamburger’s, Raging Speedhorn’s habit for delivering quality music is also hard to kill! (terrible squeezed in Seagal reference, we apologise). Even a surprise cover of T-Rex’s “Children of the Revolution” works; surprisingly short and surprisingly faithful to the original, it’s unexpected but fun.

A quick nod back to the vocals and it’s noted that while John’s low’s are missed, the marrying of Frank and Dan’s vocals is, overall, a good fit with the boys popping neck veins in the name of METAL left, right and centre.

A truly high-octane affair, Hard To Kill is almost jovial compared to the likes of We Will Be Dead Tomorrow (2002) but proves once and for all that Raging Speedhorn are the UK kings of sludge….and long may they reign! 8/10

*Incidentally, RSJ were fucking brilliant and are sorely missed. If you haven’t heard 2016’s Giant Glenn you need to give that pork-pie eating mush of yours a hefty ol’ slap!