Speedwolf

If Speedwolf put hometown anthem "Denver 666" as the opener for Ride With Death, they'd have a far better chance of rallying the ragers together in praise of this album. Instead, as their standout song and solidest statement of being, it sits at the end, long after a promising start has sputtered out amidst a wash of NWOBHM/proto-thrash rehash that, while done well, doesn't excuse a band for being a little too close to a one-trick pony. On the plus side, the hard-charging quartet live up to their name, with breakneck tempos and feverish double-kick providing a small but worthy update to the Motörhead-laden foundation they seek to so faithfully reproduce. Some darker influences also provide a worthy detour, as on "Death Ripper," which features raw, older, Toxic Holocaust-style vocals paired with an old-school delivery. However, the band have forgotten that the vintage influences they so strictly adhere to had songs that could be differentiated from one another and suffer unfortunately the consequences.