RAUNCHY – Wasteland Discotheque

Since forming in 1994, Denmark’s Death/Thrash metal band Raunchy has been compared to Strapping Young Lad, Fear Factory, In Flames, Soilwork, , even Linkin Park at times. With the outing of their fourth album Wasteland Discotheque they are being hailed as the new “Futuristic Hybrid Metal” of our genre. Between the years of 1995 and 1998 Raunchy released two demos which led to their signing with Mighty Music’s sublabel Drug(s) for Velvet Noise. By 2002, Nuclear Blast showed interest and reissued Velvet Noise for European release and this was the gateway for their first full Metal album Confusion Bay in 2005. Lifeforce Records then jumped on Raunchy’s band wagon in 2005 to help them release their third album Death Pop Romance in 2006. This was the year for bigger and better things for this Danish band. They became part of “Danish Dynamite Tour 2006” with bands such as Hatesphere and Volbeat; bringing us current and up to date with their fourth album Wasteland Discotheque they are ready to melt your face with thrashing guitars, and deep from the bowels of Hell vocals. If Death and Thrash is your thing then this is the album for you.

The album starts off with “This Blackout Is Your Apocalypse” which is nothing more than a segue into the core of the album. Great piano, beautiful harmonizing vocals, double kick drums, and grinding guitars might trick you into thinking “what the hell?” but that’s the last time you will think that throughout this album!

Track number four “Warriors” once again shows great use of keyboards and how you can incorporate that sound into any kind of music. Vocalist Kasper Thomsen brings clean and clear vocals to the table, combining that with great crunching guitar, and of course the double kick drum, this is definitely a song you can pop in your car and roll the windows down and go for a drive. The great thing about this song is you get the in-your-face vocals but then you also get the great harmonizing that’s appealing to the ear.

Track number seven, the title track for the album, “Wasteland Discotheque” gives a great sci-fi feel with the synthesizers working over time. Having said that, this song would have been best served with a few less verses and more of the great harmonizing vocals we’ve come to enjoy from Thomsen. The title track of an album needs to be the backbone of that album and be able to carry it and stand alone. “Wasteland Discotheque” was a little disappointing in that regard.

Rounding out this review is track number eight with “Somebody’s Watching Me”. No, you did hear right! This song has that great Thrash beginning but when you reach the chorus it’s a definite throwback to Rockwell’s cult classic “Somebody’s Watching Me”(featuring Michael and Jermaine Jackson). Whether or not you think this belongs, it actually works; so kudos to Raunchy for incorporating a little old with something new.

All in all the album’s ok but not something you might listen to all the time. If you want more information on this band check out the links below.