Imagine a post-apocalyptic city, illuminated with buzzing neon lights. Then, in the distance, you hear the revving of motorcycles and the clanking of chains. That's the sound of the HELLRAIDERS coming your way. Hailing from Italy, this rebellious 5 piece band comes in, weapons blazing and empty beer cans flying about (figuratively of course). "Fighting Hard" is their first full studio album and it's chock-full of Punk Thrash sound and the right amount of 'drink you under the table just before the table gets smashed' attitude to go with it.

"Beat to Death" is the single from the album. The riffs are pretty thrashy,  but there is definitely a  Punk Rock feel to the pacing and the overall mood of the music. "Hellraiders" is essentially the anthem of the band. It's a rebellious number from the 'join us or get your ass kicked' lyrics to the revving of motorcycles in the beginning and end of the track. "Starving For Your Blood" has a great solo and tempo more than worth moshing to. "Cursed By Gods" created a Mad Max style post-apocalyptic setting in my mind. There was something about the melody that I can imagine spray painted humvees with flame blasting exhausts and caged windows blazing through the desert and raiding any villages they find. "They Live" is most certainly inspired by the cult classic film of the same name. It's a cool pure Metal track with some 80s vibes, to match the era of the late 80s flick. "Kill For Beer" has a speedy fun melody with some dark lyrics about literally killing for beer. "Prince of Hell" takes a sharp turn into the power ballad lane. It was a bit jarring, flow wise, but the song itself is pretty damn good. The riff style until the 3 minute mark kept that mellow classic Metal tempo you typically hear in Metal ballads. The solo sped the song up some amount, it was tastefully done with some cool shreddy flair. I also like how the song went back to the slower pace once the solo was over to close the song similar to how it began. "Fighting Hard" brings you right back to the wreaking havoc in the best of ways feeling like many of the songs on the album. The dueling guitars for most of the song was very entertaining to listen to.

All and all, this was a great debut from HELLRAIDERS. Punk Thrash is a genre I don't listen to often, but I had fun listening to this album. Thrasherlady really brought the Punk Rock 'you fuck with me, I'll break your windows... or your legs' attitude in with her Wendy O Williams style of vocals. The fast pace of every song was exciting when paired with the speedy solos and thrashy riffs. The songs were short, averaging around 3 minutes each, but they manage to make full use of every track and turn it into an audible party. You can't resist wanting to join the HELLRAIDERS on their drunken raids after hearing this one!