Danish Crucible undoubtedly longs for the 1980s. Everything here oozes 80s worship – the logo, the cover, the style, and, most of all, the music. This is classic speed metal played at full throttle, with a vocalist who reaches for the very top register. It’s also the vocals that I find hardest to digest on “Hail To The Force” – simply too high-pitched for my taste. On top of that, the songs themselves aren’t particularly strong.
There are good ideas and some cool riffs scattered throughout, but the overall impression doesn’t really stick. I’m not especially fond of the pink colour scheme on the cover either, though it is fun that it looks like a classic airbrush painting. Still, the band deserves credit for going all in with true 80s heavy metal spirit, and there aren’t too many new bands attempting speed metal these days. In that sense, this makes for a cool debut album, even if the execution could have been more convincing.
Release September 12th, 2025 on From the Vaults.
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