SeaxSpeed Inferno
Reviewed 5 October 2022
Speed metal has always been a niche genre. Even when it seemed in the mid-eighties that it would become an important sub-genre of all things metal, we soon learned that most bands found more glory in thrash and death metal, both of which didn’t require vocalists with searingly high vocals that cut through everything in their way. Nowadays there is a certain speed metal revival going on, with the new bands often sounding more speed metal than the old ones ever did.
One of the most authentic current speed metal bands is Seax from Massachusetts. They have been around since 2009, releasing albums on a regular basis, with Speed Inferno being their fifth longplayer so far. Compared to their earlier efforts, it is obvious that despite getting older, they guys are definitely not slowing down. Speed Inferno contains nine high-speed speed metal attacks, and especially the first half of the album is some of the best metal you will come by. The opener and title track delivers everything that I loved when I got to know the genre in the eighties: fast rhythms, guitar solos galore, a high piercing voice that is shredding your ears, and enough melody to make the music memorable. The following Radiation Overload continues in that vein but comes with a catchy chorus that you can’t help but singing along to. New World Crucifixion is at a little over five minutes a longer track but still the band is not slowing down, instead we get even more guitar soloing and another fantastic chorus. The remaining songs may not achieve quite the same greatness but the band’s no-holds-barred attitude towards speedy metal is purest joy.
Expect somehow the rough and unpolished violence of early Metallica and Exodus, add some primeval German thrash metal bands like Vendetta, Helloween and Paradox, and you might get an idea of what to expect. Especially the vocals remind me at times of German Teutonic metal legend Living Death. Vocalist Carmine DeCicco has some fierce pipes on him, and despite being in his mid-thirties, he’s still screaming like there is no tomorrow. The rhythm section is tight and incredibly fast-paced, while the guitar tandem excels as much at killer riffs as they do at insane solos. With lesser bands, all of this would sound like a caricature, but Seax are really pulling this off, showing the world who is the best speed metal band right now. Fans of eighties flavoured high speed metal will be delighted.