Visions of a Parallel World

Forging a truly black metal-esque discography, Germany's Speedwhore have released their second album, 2023's Visions of a Parallel World, with a host of singles, splits, and EPs in between it and its predecessor. That, and the band name, should be sufficient to let the uninitiated know these guys are mining the deep, dark black/thrash vein of metal that seems to have spawned an uncountable number of bands in the past decade. Speedwhore play dirty, grimy, fast metal with a range of vocals from guttural growls to ear-piercing screams and if anything, are more dedicated to speed this time. There is still an air of creepy atmosphere pervading the album, something you don't get as much as you might think with black/thrash bands. Take "Clutch of the Sea" for instance, with its martial drumbeats that are reminiscent of Slayer's "Reign in Blood." Speaking of Slayer, they are obviously a big influence on Speedwhore this time around, along with the other usual suspects like Celtic Frost, Venom and even a little early King Diamond. I'm not hearing any real progression in the songwriting from the debut and, while all are enjoyable, I can't point to any song that sticks out. That's a bit of a disappointment as I'd hoped for something catchier, but I still enjoy Visions of a Parallel World when it is on, it just sounds similar to the debut, which if you like that one, is probably a good thing. Solid black/thrash with a streak of malevolence a mile wide is what you get from Speedwhore.