Band:	Speedtrap
Album:	Straight Shooter
Style:	Heavy metal, Speed metal
Release date:	September 11, 2015
Guest review by:	Ch'ti

01. No Glory Found
02. Torches Ablaze
03. Running Rampant
04. Eyes For Conquest
05. Serve Your Masters
06. Straight Shooter
07. Heavy Armor
08. Savage The Prey

A good shot of adrenaline from the late Finnish band Speedtrap.

Of all the speed metal albums I've listened to, I can't say I'm a huge fan of the genre; however, I have to admit that Speedtrap is at the top of the pile. Having listened to their first album Powerdose, which mixed modern sounds with 80s-90s heavy metal, and all that with explosively powerful riffs, I decided to listen to their second and latest album, Straight Shooter.

If I was woken up by the first one, the second one gave me several slaps, enough to capture all my attention. We find, as with the first one, the same unleashing of the guitars, and the same touch of heavy metal to set everything ablaze. The vocals, which blocked me slightly in the first LP, are a little less disturbing on this one; maybe this is because I got used to it, but I think it's also thanks to the general quality of the album, which is much higher. In 2 years, I must say that they have improved; I find the riffs more concise and effective, and the tracks are almost all excellent. I'm thinking in particular of the intro, "No Glory Found", which puts you perfectly in the bath with some exquisite riffs.

Being released in 2015, the album allows itself a dose of freshness that makes the experience particularly interesting. A good speed metal and heavy metal album in the mid-2010s is far from common, but by using the old formulas that made these genres work in the 80s, the band achieve a surprising and memorable final product.

What else can I add, except that the band's split is really a loss, first for the speed metal scene, but also for metal in general? I think I can advise all heavy metal fans to check out Speedtrap's second album, Straight Shooter, because it's really a great speed metal album, and the band deserves more recognition.