Description
Hailing from coldest Finland, RAPID create burning-black speed metalpunk. The band’s roots go back to 2013, when the three friends – vocalist/bassist Vincent Revenge, drummer Tapio “The Goon” Malmström, and guitarist Atte “Spectre” Nikku, the latter two then still members of Excuse – were playing covers of such bands as Venom, Motörhead, Hellhammer, Slayer, and Judas Priest. The next year became more serious, and they decided to name themselves RAPID and soon recorded their first demo, Rapid Metal Attack. In 2016, they released their second demo, Deadly Torment, and garnered some larger recognition, especially outside of Finland. That then led to a deal with Svart Records for the Ancient Force 7” EP, released in 2017.
Then, in 2020, after a few years of different phases, live shows, and strict practice and composing, RAPID recorded their breakout mini-album, Blackstar Oppression Regime. Immediately upon pressing “play,” lighting strikes and it’s apparent that RAPID are more juiced-up than ever, electricity literally bristling from every second of these four songs. Whereas prior RAPID recordings suggested more convenient subgenre categorization, here on Blackstar Oppression Regime is the attack ever so subtly more unique. There’s the urgency of hardcore punk, the hook-oriented propulsion of speed metal, and the spidery aura of old-wave black metal, but even then, that only tells half the RAPID story; some of the lead lines could come from classic deathrock, while the general hot-rockin’ that anchors everything is pure turn-of-the-‘80s heavy metal. Put together, especially with the power-trio’s charisma spilling over into everything, Blackstar Oppression Regime becomes a four-pronged attack of timeless metal anarchy.
Previously only available digitally, Blackstar Oppression Regime now sees physical release via DYING VICTIMS, both as a stand-alone 12” and on CD buttressed by Deadly Torment. RAPID have arrived!
