Raw punk - A review of Arch Enemy's Råpunk

This exclusive Japanese release features four songs that were previously released on vinyl for the limited edition of the Will to Power record. The record is sold for about five dollars and features four tracks with a total running time of about three and a half minutes. Arch Enemy were clearly in it for the fun and decided to cover four songs by Swedish hardcore punk band The Shitlickers.

As the band name, song titles and track lengths might suggest, the four tracks are straightforward hardcore punk that invites for violent dancing in concert. The riffs are distorted and fast, the bass guitar sounds like an angry bumblebee and the drums provide more noise than rhythm. The hoarse vocals make me think of a screaming pig and blend in perfectly with the instrumental work. The angry lyrics are short and concise.

What I like about this release is its unpretentiousness. I'm not a big Arch Enemy fan but these violent four tracks are truly enjoyable while they last and made me discover a band I wouldn't ever have heard about. The short release with the cool cover artwork is a great exotic collector's items. To make things even more interesting, Canadian singer Alissa White-Gluz even sings in Swedish in one track. 

This is the kind of album that you should crank up the volume to at four o'clock in the morning to piss off your neighbors. It doesn't have anything to do with metal but this is what makes this vivid release stand out. If you haven't purchased the limited edition of Will to Power and have a weakness for hardcore punk, this release is certainly worth five bucks.

Final rating: 70%