Speedwolf

Ride With Death

Hells Headbangers 2011

Denver's NWOBHM traditionalists Speedwolf finally deliver their first full-length release. Spitting grit and gravel Speedwolf emulate the street rock wisdom and sensibilities of Motorhead but flush the songs out with a more noticeable dose of melody.  You can hear it immediately on Up All Night which takes that balls-out Motorhead rock and injects some decent Swedish sounding melodies.  Out On Bail thrives on a NWOBHM main melody which is smashed up against a pounding street rock section that just reeks of spilt beer.  Taking things even further, I Am The Demon brings to mind modern Darkthrone but with Lemmy's older, more road-weary brother singing.  However Time To Annihilate adds a decidedly punk edge to the mixture of biker metal already being hammered out on the song.  I even hear echoes of Discharge in the main riff on I Can't Die, but it has been spun through a Motorhead pacing and then a punk chorus drives the point home like a spiked fist to the jaw.  Deathripper crashes this party by inserting like a wolf among sheep, as this track is nearly a primitive black metal anthem, though the bluesy guitar solo belongs to Speedwolf alone.  I even hear some Misfits in Hell & Back.  Speedwolf has an ugly (in a good way), "rough around the edges" style.  It's rowdy and controlled at the same time.  My only real problem with this album is their drum sound.  It is far too "big" and polished for the music they are playing.  They should take a hint from Midnight for the right approach.  Ride With Death is an album that draws from melodic NWOBHM riffage and then exhales it into a dirty backroom bar, soaked with Whiskey and caked with cigarette ash.  Rev up the engines on your Harley!