Artist: Interceptor
Country: USA
Label: Headsplit Records / Motorpunk Records
Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD
Year: 2025
With two demos (also compiled together on a separate release) and a debut album released last year, chances are that you have already ran into Interceptor – especially because they have a mild buzz going on the interwebs. Still, if you haven’t heard of the band ever before, my bet is that you already know what you are in for. Just take the cover design, the band name and this new album’s title, add the fact that a label with the name Motorpunk Records is involved … Yup, this is a textbook example of what-you-see-is-what-you-get-metal. Balls out, oiled up Heavy Speed Metal with a mild First Wave Black Metal edge to it.
‘Metal Death’, even more than the preceding recordings, is a bumpy ride through time and space. It brings you to those roaring 80’s, those transitional years in which heavy music turned HEAVY. Just like those first two Venom albums had a few awkward bluesy songs, such important albums in the makeover process that turned Deep Purple loving hard rockers into thrashers and black metal fans, ‘Metal Death’ also sounds like a record that can bridge that same gap. It has obvious bluesy songs like ‘Fire’ and ‘The Sword Of Fire’ and a bunch of straight forward tracks like ‘Black Ritual’ that really wouldn’t be out of place on any of the early Venom records – not in the least because vocalist Blake “Bulldözer” Arendell has one of the most impressive Cronos impersonations I ever heard.
Obviously, you didn’t come here for originality and it might be clear that you are served with exactly zero of that. But despite the fact that Beethoven can hear and Stevie Wonder can see where this trio gets its inspiration from, it’s still a bit of a stretch to say that Interceptor is just a gimmick band rehashing old ideas. Yes, the album is one big celebration of old favorites, and occasionally the riffs or melodies sound very similar to ones you may have heard on a Venom, Motörhead, or Tank LP, but these three gentlemen certainly know how to write a song. And that is where the magic lies, not so much within the imitation of their own heroes, but in the fact that they are able to pull that off in a convincing way. Impossible to not give these lads props for that.
One downside though, with a playing time of 50 minutes this is way too long to keep you on the edge of your seat for the entire ride. Of course, there’s a few solutions for that, these two might be the most useful: 1. just play one side of the LP or, maybe even better, 2. pop a few beers and don’t give a fuck.
