Night Slasher

As testified by the success of Hellripper and Midnight, there seems to be an ever-growing thirst for vintage speed metal bands with a blackened edge rocking in the name of Satan (and all the correlated vices) in today's scene. Could this have been the reason Lithuanian speed/thrash band Alcotopia (who had already released an enjoyable debut album back in 2019, proposing a very interesting melodic take on the genre) to change their names in Night Slasher and add some black-ish influences to their already unmistakably old school sound? Well, let's put aside all conspiracy theories about the band wanting to jump onto an ever-growing trend: regardless of all that, I just can't help but be glad of having an album like "Night Slasher" blasting in my speakers as I'm writing.

To be honest, the band's sound hasn't changed drastically, and there's not even THAT much black metal added to the mix: by listening to this album, it appears as clear as day that the band's heart still lays in classic 80's metal. Songs are still built on frenzied, sawing speed metal riffs ("Clyster Lizard", "Towers") and blistering melodic solos ("Ice", "Black Trip", "Pit of Hate"). Alcotopia's consonant, unmistakably 80's-style sense of melody has been thoroughly preserved and even expanded upon. Even the band's thrashing foundations have mostly been left intact, as shown by the pummeling riffing from "Black Trip". The change of style pertains indeed more to what has been added than what has been taken away: the blackened elements manifest occasionally in blasting melodic sections which do honestly remind more to Belgian blackened speed metal masters Bütcher than any "pure" black metal band.

As hinted at earlier, the band's melodic identity is still as rooted in classic metal as it's ever been. These songs, no matter how minimal in construction, carry a strong melodic underpinning all throughout, with choruses that often work as excellent payoffs to the verses despite their stunning simplicity ("Ice", "Ablaze", "Towers"). Solos are intensely satisfying in answering to any question posed by the riffing, carrying songs to their climax as shown by the ripping finale of... well, "Liver Ripper" indeed. Night Slasher also tends to build upon their minimal foundations with slightly atmospheric melodic sections reminding us of "Open Hostility"-era Razor if they went even more overboard with those droning elements, giving songs like "Black Trip" and "Clyster Lizard" an even stronger sense of melody. In this framework, the band's newfound blackened influences get even more space to shine: such is the case on the sinister intros of "Towers" and "Liver Ripper", which bear an unmistakable blackened aura while still remaining firmly rooted in 80's melodic sensibilities - and in order to remind us of that beyond any doubt, the band goes nuts with some straight-out classic heavy metal riffing here and there on "Pit of Hate" and "Towers", and closes the album with a banger in the form of bluesy hard rock ("Satan in the Hall").

While there's no rocket science to "Night Slasher", the album's amount of craftsmanship, professionalism and functional songwriting is honestly stunning. And while not reaching the peaks of Hellripper or Bütcher, these Lithuanian guys have proven themselves to be able to truly give acts like Midnight, Toxic Holocaust or modern Destroyer 666 a run for their money: for this reason, I hugely recommend you to check this record out if old school black/speed metal with a classic metal underpinning is your bread and butter. You can't go wrong with this one.

Published in Italian language on Black Metal Ist Krieg webzine.