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