Album Review: Cruel Force - Haneda
Reviewed by Rich Oliver
Cruel Force have been flying the flag for gnarly blackened speed metal since 2008 when the German band unleashed their “Into The Crypts…” demo. Satan, leather and spikes were the order of the day for the two albums that followed - 2010’s “The Rise Of Satanic Might” and 2011’s “Under The Sign Of The Moon”. The band then fell into a lengthy hiatus but returned energized and invigorated and ready to unleash speed metal fury in 2022 for the second chapter of the Cruel Force story. Their third album “Dawn Of The Axe” was released in 2023 and saw the band approaching less of a blackened sound with more elements of thrash and traditional heavy metal mixed in with the speed metal attack. As the band put it, harkening back “to the "Jurassic period" of heavy metal, when everything was rawer, less polished, and more energetic and powerful”.
With the band’s fourth album “Haneda”, the approach is much the same. A face ripping concoction of speed, thrash and traditional heavy metal albeit with more of an epic sound and songwriting approach. The band states “To us, it often feels like what Rainbow / Dio would have sounded if they'd played speed metal!" and this can clearly be heard with the trad metal influences and neoclassical moments having more of a presence throughout “Haneda”. This album still rips and shreds through with full on speed and thrash attacks such as ‘Whips A Swinging’, ‘Warlords’ and ‘Titan’s Awakening’ whilst the band takes the more epic approach on songs such as ‘Sword Of Iron’, instrumental ‘Crystal Skull’ and the closing title track.
The band seem an even tighter unit on “Haneda” with the best performances they have committed to tape especially when it comes to the killer drumming from GG Alex and guitarist Slaughter simply stuns with their playing throughout the album. The album also has a killer retro sounding production with a definite throwback to how metal albums sounded in the 1980’s. Whilst previous album “Dawn Of The Axe” ushered in a new era for the band, “Haneda” continues, builds upon and improves what the band has done beforehand and is easily the most accomplished work from Cruel Force to date. There is a greater degree of musicality and musicianship throughout whilst still being a raw faceripping speed and thrash attack. Any self respecting old thrasher definitely needs to give this album a spin.
