Raging T ‘Radical Reaper’ EP 2016

Raging T 'Radical Reaper' EPMore T vicar?! Well, it sure does appear that’s what’s in order right now for all those hard rock-loving reverends out there. In between creating yet more of their criminally un-talked-about chunky odes to The Obsessed and Internal Void, two-thirds of Wiltshire-based power doomsters Iron Hearse have found time to lay down four altogether punkier moments under their new side-project moniker of Raging T. Performing purely as a duo, Grant Powell (guitar/vox) and Kev Sibley (drums) have consolidated their DIY street metal attitude and smear-it-on-your-sleeves sense of humour alongside a speedier, hardcore vibe to put out the Radical Reaper EP; four little bouts of ankle-bitingly crunchy rock n’ roll, saddled with all the silliness that comes associated with writing a song called Shadowbitch.

Kicking off nice n’ fast with a thumping bout of aggression, Graveside Powerslide tells you everything you need to know and more about skateboarding around in the dark, blind drunk… in a graveyard. Landing their sound somewhere between The Clash and a sped-up version of Spirit Caravan, Grant steers the duo on the run through said graveyard with some epic powerchords and a set of short, but sweetly squealing solos to the backdrop of a riff culled straight out of the AC/DC manual of Fun Rock.

Kev leads off with more cowbell than is altogether sensible on the swaggering, aforementioned Shadowbitch. With Grant picking up the reins from Sibley’s simple 4-way toe-tapping beat, this swampy metallic ode to a seductive grim reaper-ess lures you almost into her grave whilst the frontman’s ripping leads take you down the alleyway by the side of that sleazy pub on some grim industrial estate, give you a good spanking and send you on your way back into the night.

Metal Recycler has a good dash of Motörhead, Diamond Head and, well, a lot of recycled old skool metal about it as Grant’s tongue-in-cheek falsetto wail and gruff vocals intermingle with Kev’s frenetic tub-thumping. After a lot of “M-E-T-A-L”-ing about the place, eventually the pair crash out on a sofa somewhere in the recording studio, halfway between whiskey-smoked, riff-guzzling grins and garage-rock giddiness at having basically written a recycled metal song about recycling metal.

Saving the best till last with the simple but addictively catchy On the Streets, Raging T send you home packing to the gloriously overdriven riffs of Mr Powell and the call-to-arms, gang-vocalled, singalong of “Everytime you walk down the street, you know we’re near… WE’RE RAGING T!” With Grant saving his best Wino impression for the final few minutes of the EP, this culminates in a Ramones-meets-Steppenwolf “Goodnight Detroit Rock City!” rock-out moment, backed faithfully by Kev’s solid snare and floor-tom attack.

Will the Raging Reaper EP change your life? Most likely not, but it’s as good an example as any of what rock n’ roll should be all about: getting in your garage with your mates, grabbing a couple of cans from the offie, plugging in and having a right good laugh. It’s worth noting too that the “Limited Edition DIY Vinyl Effect CD-R” version also comes with its very own Raging T-bag! All fair-trade certified, I’m thoroughly assured… Oh, and it’s also got a picture of the radical reaper himself skateboarding a coffin, whilst on fire on the cover, so y’know, that’s worth the modest entrance fee of £1.50 alone. And so when all’s said and done, I think I can safely conclude that you too should, in the band’s own words: stop stalling and get the T on!

Label: Self Released
Band Links: Bandcamp

Scribed by: Pete Green