#Raptore (🇦🇷 (early), 🇪🇸 (later)) – Blackfire

Band: Raptore
Title: Blackfire
Label: Dying Victims Productions
Release date: 29 July 2022
Country: Argentina / Spain
Format reviewed: High-quality Digital Recording

Raptore is a band that was formed in Argentina, and nowadays their members reside in Catalonia, Spain. In fact, the only founding Argentinian member remaining is Nico Cattoni, vocals and guitars in the band. The other guys are: Jamie Killhead (guitars), Cristian Blade (bass) and Ángel Smolski (drums). And they play Heavy fuckin’ Metal, yeahh, so be prepared for a great raid of traditional Metal that will rape your ears with fury for half an hour.

Because these guys are good… nah, not only good; they are VERY GOOD at their job! Guitars will literally infest your brain, be it with earworm riffs and well-talented solos. There’s not just one guitar master in the band, but two: Nico and Jamie both share the duties of playing amazing solos that will take you to the golden age of Heavy Metal. That’s their power! And, as expected in an album of this genre, the other guy at strings (Cristian, the mighty bass player) is heard loud & proud all through the songs.

And if you are wondering about it, yes: they are fast! They can really imprint fast tempos, so in fact some of the songs are more Speed/Heavy Metal. You can notice it right from the start with “Triumphal March to Hell”. And listen for example to Ángel smashing the drum kit with a fast attack during the entire “Blackfire” song, or in “Devil Ascends”. And on the other hand, they can also play some more “softened” passages, like in “Phoenix”, a song with a lot going on in it, with plenty of variations. A powerful and at the same time sentimental song. It has also the (probably) most impressive guitar solo from all the album.

What more can you expect to find in “Blackfire”? Oh well, there are some catchy choruses, you’ll be singing along right from the start. Some great moments of “uooo oooh oooh”, perfect songs for being in a Metal festival singing along with your friends, sharing some beers, and raising your fist in the air while shaking your heads together… Woahh. But you can also listen to it alone at home and go like crazy with it! And of course, be prepared for some neck injuries…

Vocals really deliver great, Nico can reach some high-pitched notes at some points. The Bass has a great sound, like in “Demon’s Lust”, and in “Phoenix”… don’t know, I just love when I clearly listen to those predominant bass lines, what would Metal be without this instrument? But, guitars. Yeah, that’s what has gained me right from the start. The insanely great solos. My head still spins…

And, when the album reaches the end, you realize it’s too short and you want more! “Death” is a great closing theme, in the vein of what the entire album is about: great Heavy Metal. No more, no less; the music is clearly classic Heavy Metal, and even the guys’ aesthetics talk about it. C’mon, even the band’s logo has that “retro” style! I can only show my total admiration for a talented young band that’s capable of doing this. Well done, guys. For me, this deserves 9/10 Sílvia

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9/10 Epic Storm
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