Escrito por angrymetalguy.com :
Holy shit, I thought these dudes were gone forever! A guilty pleasure, Raunchy hasn’t released an album since I last reviewed them in my first year as an idiotic dumbass Angry Metal writer. But no one has heard from them in a long fucking time. When I first discovered their impressive 2008 release, Wasteland Discotheque, I was on a kick to explore the underground who’s who of Danish metal. During that time, I not only came across Raunchy but also Mercenary, Panzerchrist, and Dominus.1 Spread across so many varying musical styles, each band’s discog at the time was on regular rotation in the Grier household. While all but Dominus remain, only Raunchy continues to prove they can make their tried-and-true sound remain relevant.
With this year’s Prisoner, Raunchy remains the best of the bunch—the rest of these Danes reached their peak in the early aughts. But that depends on the ears of the beholder. Raunchy are the masters of one of the strangest combinations of genres, unapologetically mixing groove, melodic death, metalcore, and industrial rock/metal. They are also a rare breed for a band that’s been in existence for over thirty years: they have refused to surrender their core lineup (having replaced two members in their thirty-four years of existence), nor have they ever swayed from their style. Love it or hate it, Raunchy is one of the best of the style, and they are back to take you Prisoner.
Right away, you know Raunchy hasn’t lost a step since 2014’s Vices.Virtues.Visions.. “Frostbite” kicks off with an industrial introduction before the guitars take over the rhythm and punch it forward in a Mercenary way. It’s a safe song to begin the album because it has all of the band’s classic elements: ooo’s and awww’s, cleans and harshies, ferocity and melody, and some of the best choruses out there. The follow-up track, “Stranded,” follows in its predecessor’s shoes, delivering an Evergrey-esque mid-paced groove before alternating between calm verses and harsh pre-choruses. With each iteration, the chorus’s emotion and power grow stronger until the tension finally erupts at the end.
One of my favorite parts about the album is the flow. You might get a half-second after one song before the next begins, making it as fluid as possible. While Vices.Virtues.Visions. was emotionally heavy, some Prisoner’s tracks pack a hefty punch. “Revealing I” is a Fear Factory-infused blast attack that somehow balances each heavy riff with the absolute beauty of the chorus. While not as continuously ferocious, the back half of “Vanishing Act” fuses badassery with tripletty. Its chorus is probably the least memorable on the album, but it’s still very strong. It’s also impressive that this chorus is the “worst,” because each one is worth the time.
For example, the only good quality of the cringey, pop-synth, bitchy-emo “Darkest Self” is the chorus. And, goddamn, it’s a good one. But each time it restarts with its verse and pre-chorus pattern, I’m not sure I can make it through. “Masquerade” doesn’t have the same flaws, but it’s unique to the band, requiring a few listens to appreciate nuances. To conclude this journey of societal growth, missteps, and seclusion, the title track’s breathtaking beauty and hopefulness cap Prisoner perfectly. This new record is at the same level as Vices.Virtues.Visions. in quality and memorability. But what makes them equals is their perfect pairing: one to tear at your heartstrings and the other to empower you to get through it.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Mighty Music
Websites: raunchydk.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/ronniband
Releases Worldwide: August 14th, 2026
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