Raging Death – Raging Death

 “Raging Death” is the self-titled debut album from an impressive Polish thrashing force. While the Polish thrash scene is by no means barren, it is always nice to see more bands come out of it, especially when they deliver the riffs as well as Raging Death does. This is not an album of power ballads, nor is it one with an emphasis on tech-noodly riffs. Instead, the band hits hard, fast, and often. Once the opening song, “Space Invaders”, starts raging, it takes two minutes until the band lets you catch your breath, and even at that point, they’re still employing an Overkill-esque galloping pace. Prior to that, their sound consists solely of full-speed ahead thrash. There is the occasional calmer moment, like the intro to “Back To The Past”, but Raging Death doesn’t linger with this sound, instead opting to return to breakneck riffing.

In an attempt to hearken back to the days of old, Raging Death has vocalist that stands out a bit from the crowd. He’s a little bit in the vein of those high-pitched shouters (ex: Fastkill), except that he’s more reined in. His delivery is both more understandable and less ridiculous, and this is a good thing because it allows him to have a unique identity while not being a gimmick. As you might imagine, this also makes the songs easier to follow. The aforementioned “Back To The Past” actually has a couple of parts where the band lets the chords ring out so that their vocalist can get a couple of cleaner lines in (this occurs before he unleashes a piercing scream in the chorus). In addition to this screecher, the band also makes excellent use of gang vocals, such as in the chorus of the band’s eponymous song, which shows a serious attempt at writing something that will stick with you.

Another great element of “Raging Death” is the production. The guitars are incredibly crunchy, and always ready to jump out at you with the next riff. By contrast, when there is a solo or lead, they feel very smooth. It almost sounds too easy when a guitarist is shredding because of how clean it sounds in these sections. Due to the speed at which the band often plays, things can get a bit chaotic at times (see the main riff of "Race of Races" for one example), but it never feels like anyone is fighting for attention. You might have to put in a bit more effort to hear the bass, but on the whole, this mix feels both very natural and very appropriate for a thrash band that worships the old guard. Both from a songwriting perspective and a musicianship one, Raging Death is a cut above most of their peers!

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Highlights

"Raging Death"

"Warrior of Revenge"

Final Rating

4.0/5 or 80%. 

Written by Scott