Morbid Tactics

I first heard of Raptor whilst browsing the Wehrmacht Facebook page and finding the song Possessed by Speed in the feed. What came to assault my ears for the next two and a half minutes had a total old school mid 1980s black thrash sound down to even the production values and a front man having a Teutonic, evil rasp.

Morbid Tactics was a breath of fresh air for myself because the entire EP sounds like it could fit right in with early classic releases like Seven Churches, Evil Invaders, or Show No Mercy. Raptor's songs are mostly 2-3 minute salvos of tremolo riff layered goodness that harken back to an age where extreme metal was in its infancy. An age where bands like Kreator, Venom, and Slayer were beginning to push the boundaries of speed and experimenting with faster, albeit somewhat simpler, progressions that existed to crush your skull quickly. Short thrash scorchers that rip up your ears in under 4 minutes guaranteed! The cover art is also sexy as fuck and has a cool fantasy theme. Fuckin' werewolfs, bitches, and guns in the night! Alright! There are also some horror sounds before some of the songs to add even more suspense.

If this EP was released in 1985 it would not surprise me in the least bit if it were considered a classic to this day. The songs are all very strongly executed with a sharp twin guitar bombardment. Some would argue that many of the songs may sound very similar due to the tempos used or generic rehash of Satanic themes, but looking past those qualms the music is catchy and tight. The guitar players play in a very controlled manner which is very hard to explain. There's no outrageous Jeff Hanneman or Gary Holt diving abuse but the solos mesh well with the melody of riffs on display here. Each player is no slouch when it comes to getting around a fretboard and doing it in a tasteful demeanor. The riffs are sometimes one dimensional, but never go stale because the songs are so well written and are very to-the-point. Vocalist Marco sounds like an exact clone of Mille Petrozza (Thumbs up for all you Kreator fans) so people looking for an original sound here are going to be disappointed. Marco's excoriations complement the relentless attack especially on tracks like Ripper and Lucifer Commands with aggressive confidence. The drumming is very workman-like. Not much to say other than it serves its purpose of being relentless and focuses on a less flashy approach to playing. Very faithful to early drum efforts of Abaddon or Ventor. No huge complaints.

Overall the pure speed, carpel tunnel inducing riffs, speedy drumming, and evil vibe makes me proud to find bands that still exist like this today. In a day where people are too caught up in overproducing their music or trying to make something that sounds like modern shitty metal, you have bands like Raptor that are glad to keep the old school torch burning. The proof is in the attitude and music.

If you like early black thrash music or are a fan of Venom, Kreator, Destruction, Razor, Desaster, early Slayer, or Possessed give Morbid Tactics a listen. My favorite track is by far Possessed by Speed. I cannot stress how much this release sounds like Endless Pain or like something off Evil Invaders. The music and concept is not very original but it is done in the most excellent of tastes. Their use of old school tactics on this EP makes me give Raptor's debut a well deserved high score for a relatively new band.