Speed Metal
High Roller Records
20th,Release Date – March 20th 2026
Review By Smudge Smith
I’m going to show my age. Who remembers the Belgian HM band Acid? They were always in Kerrang! In the early 80s, they pushed out 3 albums between 1982 and 1985, and then they broke up. They reformed in 2019 and played the Keep It True Rising festival in 2021 and then again in 2023, which was recorded. In 2024 they released ‘Blowing Your Ears Off’. Lead singer Katie De Lombaert has now assembled a new crew for ‘Hellbender’, which she says is old-school metal.
The title track kicks things off, and yes, it’s some fine old-school fist-pumping metal before ‘Taking Back My Wings’ eases back on the gas on a tidy groove, and then off we go on a speed metal ride with ‘The Lightning Conductor’. ‘Riding Out’ is some tasty biker rock, and then it’s pure NWOBHM on ‘Do Not Burn The Witch’ (not to be confused with the Venom track of the same name). Things get creepy on the intro to ‘Valkyrie’ before they charge into a raucous, rollicking, fun metal banger. ‘Buccaneers’ is a bit rockier, and ‘Stormchaser’ brings some more proper metal. Final cut ‘Air Raid’ is a ballad of sorts and a rarity on an acid album.
This is some real traditional metal. Nothing new but still enjoyable. There are limitations with Katie’s voice, and she’s fallen into the same trap a lot of singers do. When the power goes, they resort to a load of vibrato for sustain, and this can get annoying at times. Even so, it took me back to my early teens and got me remembering bands I used to listen to back then. Traditional metal is making a comeback, and this will help with the journey.
Track List –
Hellbender
Taking Back My Wings
The Lightning Conductor
Riding Out
Do Not Burn The Witch
Valkyrie
Buccaneers
Stormchaser
Air Raid
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