Review by Andy Valentine
I don’t know what it is that keeps Raunchy from being kings of today’s metal scene. It may be their unapologetically cheesy name. Or, it could be the fact that the metal scene has just grown too cynical. Perhaps they don’t get enough push and marketing from their label, LifeForce records. Or maybe, the members of this band simply prefer to stay underappreciated.
Whatever it is, it definitely isn’t the music. Raunchy consistently create accessible, groovy numbers that mix brilliant electro-pop with a primal death metal crunch. This is a band that consistently refuses to take itself, or the “scene” for anything more than the ridiculous fun that it is. This is a band that’s never given two shits about metal’s self-inflicted genre boundaries.
With Wasteland Discotheque, their fourth proper studio release, Raunchy ups the bar in both songwriting, and style. Kasper Thomsen, who debuted as vocalist on Raunchy’s last studio effort Death Pop Romance (2002), is finally coming into his own. On this album, he has allowed himself to move into more experimental voices, successfully melding the classic black metal vocal style into traditional pop arrangements – it’s beautiful. To heavy metal purists who shun any kind pop influence, Kasper not only exemplifies how it can be done, but how it should be done.
Augmenting Thomsen, Jeppe Christensen’s clean Mike Patton-esque vocals round out what Raunchy is all about – crafting heavy-ass sing-alongs you can rock out to with the top down on a summer road trip.
I can’t emphasize enough how effortlessly this band is able create infectious melody within the realm of double-bass driven heavy metal staccato. On Wasteland Discotheque, Raunchy are actually heavier than most of their counterparts – such as In Flames and Soilwork – but they’re actually groovier, poppier, more infectious, and more radio-friendly at the same time. Given the opportunity, the track “Warriors” could easily become a hard rock radio hit stateside.
Behind Raunchy’s undeniable songwriting, guitarist Jesper Tilsted is like a mad scientist with OCD, carefully placing each arrangement for maximum effect. He’s the quiet guy who doesn’t say a thing, but is always devising a way for the band to be even better than it already is. For a guy who’s as musically brilliant as he is, it’s a good thing he’s got such talent to play with. Morten Hansen’s skills behind the kit are better than 95% of the other metal drummers out there. Shit, his skills are better than a 1990 Dave Lombardo.
Wasteland Discotheque is the result of 6 truly talented Danes who just don’t give a fuck about traditional metal convention, given a canvas on which to paint whatever the fuck kind of album they wanted. Yeah, you could dismiss Wasteland Discotheque as an attempt to make Scandinavian death metal more accessible to the masses, but you’d totally be missing the point – and that would be your loss.
Wasteland Discotheque is slated to become my life’s soundtrack at least for the next couple of years or so – at least until Raunchy cuts their fifth album.
As a side note, much of Raunchy’s sonic success here should be accredited to producer Jacob Hansen, who is consistently able to harness Raunchy’s signature sound with his talented knob-turning and level-adjusting expertise. Hansen is quickly becoming the go-to-guy for quality production work inside and out of the Scandinavian scene. I’ve heard it said that Jacob Hansen is being hailed as the next Andy Sneap. Fuck that. Jacob Hansen isn’t the next Andy Sneap. He’s the new Rick Rubin.