Review by Vladimir on November 20, 2023.

A little while ago, I reviewed the EP Headed Towards Destruction by the heavy/speed/power metal band Rascal from Poland, and I said that it would be nice to see the band take their musicianship to a higher level when their first full-length comes out. Well, I guess my prayers have been answered. On November 10th, 2023, Rascal released their first full-length album Lost Beyond Reason via Ossuary Records, which will be the topic of this review.

Just like on their previous release, the band has taken the fast and melodic heavy/speed metal approach with their new songs, however this time it seems that they've taken all the key elements in their music a bar higher then what they had previously done. The overall song structure contains the traditional speed and heavy metal riffing, powerful guitar solos with sweep picking, fast drumming with wall breaking double-bass drumming, high pitch vocals, which is the standard formula incorporated by most heavy/speed metal bands. You will still hear the influences of 80's heavy, speed and power metal bands like Judas Priest and Helloween, but with a couple of twists that will be mentioned further in this review. Although there isn't really any stylistic departure from the Headed Towards Destruction EP, the new songs however feel much more energetic and wilder as if they have been injected with an extra dose of speed and steroids with the intention of blowing out your speakers. The song title that perfectly summarizes how much this album has taken a further step is the third track 'The Faster the Better', and it even seems like the title was meant to be a subtle hint at the band's approach to songwriting.

The riffs and the solos are much crazier than what they used to be, like the band simply decided to hit the gas in order to go above the limit and exceed any expectation. The best examples that I can give are the thrash metal moments on 'Born To Kill' and 'Slow Burner', including other bits like the brief harsh growling vocals on 'Conquest' and 'Soldiers Of Hell', the reverse blast beat drumming and black metal-like tremolo picking on the final track 'Into The Night', all of which gives these songs more dirt and aggression. Speaking of things going above their limit, even the overall vocal performance is much more grand, especially on the title track 'Lost Beyond Reason' where the singing feels quite epic and powerful than on any other song. When observing everything about the overall musical execution to the smallest bit, it's nothing too fancy for some people out there, but I still think that it is quite impressive for such minimal work that's done right. You might be thinking that this is just another typical heavy/speed metal album that doesn't do anything new, but you simply cannot deny the fact that this album has got balls of steel that this subgenre obviously requires in order to fulfil its priority task of sounding heavy. loud and fast. The sound production of this album does immense justice to the entire instrumental and vocal work, and is definitely a step further from the production of Headed Towards Destruction.

So in the end, were my prayers answered for Rascal's new album? Indeed, they were. Lost Beyond Reason did a good job at fulfilling and also exceeding my expectations, proving that it was worth the wait and that it's another great addition among countless heavy/speed metal albums that have been released this year. If you are in the need for some heavy/speed metal action with some unexpected twists, check out Rascal's album Lost Beyond Reason and behold the wild energy that it transcends.

Rating: 8.8 out of 10

Review by Krys on January 17, 2002.

Oh, not nice... Sinergy’s 3rd release “Suicide By My Side” starts with very tasty intro to ‘Spit On Your Grave’ and I hope that grave is not mine cause I didn’t do anything wrong during the last 12 months but Atomic... that’s a different story. He gave them 3 out of 10 for “To Hell and Back” and I guess he got what he deserved. Nice job Kimberly... OK, jokes aside.

I hope no one expected our Finns to change their style ‘cause “Suicide By My Side” is exactly in the same vein as their previous releases, and by that I mean it’s a good power-heavy metal with excellent guitar work courtesy of Children Of Bodom axeman Alexi Lahio. But there is more to this band than just simply outstanding solos, catchy riffs or plainly Alex (although I don’t think without him this band would even exist).

Not taking away from their previous effort, which by the way I score much higher than my cohort, the overall songwriting has improved and all compositions sound much tighter and even though they are quite melodic they still provide a good dose of whup-ass. With Kimberly’s voice that has a great command and with plenty of its range, she adds a lot of diversity to the otherwise not too convoluted song structures.

Analogous to any typical power-heavy album, “Suicide by My Side” ranges from fast tracks like opener ‘I Spit on Your Grave’ or ‘Violated’ to melancholic parts ala piano outro ‘Remembrance’. If it were up to me I would first put ‘Remembrance’ and then I would spit, but that’s just me. Anyway, it’s quite hard to pick a standout ‘cause most tracks are on this same level but my personal highlight would be ‘Suicide by My Side’ and ‘Me, Myself, My Enemy’ with a nice little bass intro that transforms into great rock-ish riff. And of course a whole list of mesmerizing solos throughout the whole album.

Bottom Line: Maybe there’s nothing too original here but great songwriting, first class musicianship and topnotch production doesn’t leave too much to complain about either. Any fan of melodic metal can definitely pick it up.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 7
Production: 9
Originality: 6
Overall: 8

Rating: 7.6 out of 10

Review by Chris Pratl on January 15, 2019.

Slovenia’s thrash ensemble Teleport brings a really stellar production to the table in its debut demo Galactic Usurper, a harsh, albeit proggy jaunt through the annals of thrash metal history. I guess this update is full of surprises for this humble writer. 

The four tracks on this demo are progressively slanted, sure, but the overall primitive thrash vibe is always underlying. While I wouldn’t say these guys are the epitome of some of our more technically-sound thrash bands like Coroner, Vektor or Hellwitch, the sound is the best of both eras, old and new, without giving it all away to nu-thrash, a trend so disgustingly opaque it sickens me. I love the bass work in this demo as much as I like the quick-paced time changes that flow so sweetly it’s almost tough to follow and difficult to predict, two illuminating nuances I personally enjoy. This is not thrash that will necessarily make you get up and destroy your room, but it is speedy and inductive enough to make you see the more progressive side of the medium. 

Vocally, there’s a slimmer, even toned down and breathy delivery that isn’t too overused today and just shrieking enough to call upon the likes of Schmier with just the barest of comparisons. The true gift here is the music, thoughtful and well-structured, taking an ancient genre and adding some flavor to its core without running amok with the idea and raping the concept. “Future Existence” is the track that best exemplifies this, switching gears often enough to warrant a few additional listens, and as I said I love the bass sound and how, thankfully, it wasn’t carelessly buried for the sake of rudimentary guitars. 

Overall, Teleport is a fine band with a fine first effort; hopefully the ideas will come faster and more furious in the future. So far the selected track is the right one.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

(Originally written for www.metalpsalter.com)