Speedslut--Cimbrian Rites (CD/LP/CS) (2026 Listenable Records)

This band from Denmark has blown me away, just flooring me with their black speed metal attack. From the '80s Metallica- and Slayer-isms to the Germanic speed metal influence to the little Bathory nods, this is entirely entertaining and metal as fuck. This is all gas and no brakes, just full speed ahead the entire time, full of attitude and powerful riffs. One thing they have that not a lot of black speed metal acts do is quality guitar solos, they're fresh and searing every time. These guitarists can play, often adding amazing little runs in their riffs that whip by at light speed. Vocally, the singer is somewhere between Running Wild and Bathory or Venom, and it's a perfect fit for the music. The vocals just bleed metal atmosphere. I thought the shouted gang vocals in a couple of the songs were a really nice touch as well. This is an excellent record that deserves mountains of praise heaped upon it, and I'll be picking this up at the first opportunity.

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Leatherwitch--First Spell (CD/LP) {2026 Listenable Records}

Leatherwitch is the solo project of Marta Gabriel, the longtime vocalist of Crystal Viper. Leatherwitch is largely a continuation of Crystal Viper's work, although there are some stylistic differences. For me, the vocals are smoother and more well-produced than on the last Crystal Viper record. Marta also leans in more heavily to classic metal melody, reminding me a bit of Warlock in that regard. The choruses are all written to be extremely catchy and some of them are serious earworms. I'm impressed with the level of skill she shows with all the instruments here as well - even the drums, which are notoriously neglected on a lot of one-person projects, often resorting to haphazard programming. No, these are the real deal and she plays them well, assuming she plays them and didn't just leave session musicians off the credits. I love when she hits a high note on this record, they're so smooth. She has the same smooth high notes that Journey frontman Steve Perry had, and his were like silk. She has the same texture if not the same range. It could be a trick of production, but you can't polish a turd, so the raw tracks have to be impressive at the very least. This is one all traditional metal fans ought to be able to enjoy and I hope there's more where this came from.

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