Live Review: Raging Speedhorn - The Station, Cannock
Support: Kill The Witch, The Deadlist
20th June 2025
Words: Cat Finch
Photos: Tim Finch
What comes to mind when you think of Cannock? If you answered “Stan Collymore dogging in his Range Rover” then you’d be in the majority, as apart from that nothing has put Cannock on the map. However tonight that changes as Corby bruisers Raging Speedhorn are here to rattle some cages.
In a dimly lit room above a shopping centre in the middle of town sits The Station, the only venue of any kind in this run down town, yet people mill about in anticipation for the evening.
Kicking things off are local groove metal outfit The Dead List, who seem to seem to want to mix the styles of Pantera with Black Label Society. The band launched into a thick, menacing wall of sound. The guitars were sharp and down-tuned, the bass lines throbbed with a sinister pulse, and the drums cracked like gunfire.
The set progressed with each track adding another layer to the band’s ominous world. While crowd engagement can be a challenge for any opener, The Dead List handled it inventively, with their vocalist and guitarist jumping into the assembled masses to perform by the end of the set.
Kill the Witch wasted no time dragging the night into darker, heavier territory. The Birmingham-based three-piece stomped their way through a thunderous performance that oozed menace, melody, and momentum in equal measure.
Opening with ‘Traveller’, the band immediately laid down a slab of pounding riffs and ominous groove, a fitting introduction to their sound which is equal parts sludge, doom, and snarling metal. ‘Destroyer’ and ‘Death to Those Who Seek It’ followed in quick succession, both tracks showcasing the band’s knack for dynamic shifts, slow, ominous lurches giving way to bursts of aggression. There’s a ritualistic quality to their music, and that was especially evident in the crawling intro to 'Astral Plane', a song that conjured thick atmosphere before detonating into a wall of sound.
As the set thundered on, ‘Burn Out’ and ‘Embers Burn’ upped the tempo and energy in the room. By this point, the crowd had warmed considerably, and Kill the Witch fed off it, leaning into their performance with even more bite. 'Slime' came next, a filthy, groove-soaked stomp that left no neck untested, and the set closed with the anthemic ‘The Oath’ which tied together everything they do well: bleak atmospheres, crushing heaviness, and an unflinching sense of purpose.
There’s something uniquely satisfying about a Raging Speedhorn show. It’s not just the noise, the riffs, or the dual-vocal assault; it’s the unrelenting sense that the band have come to do one thing: destroy. And tonight that’s exactly what they did.
From the moment they launched into their gloriously filthy new anthem ‘Every Night’s Alright for Fighting’ the message was clear, there would be no easing in, no slow build. Classic cuts like ‘Superscud’ and the new banger ‘Buzz Killa’ landed with the force of a wrecking ball, drawing the biggest reactions of the night from the crowd, mosh pits (and fights) sparked, limbs flew, and beers were flung.
The onslaught continued with ‘Fuck the Voodooman’ and the lurching doom of ‘Redweed’ before the band tore into ‘Spitfire’, delivered with a precision that belied the pure feral energy on display.
They closed with the one-two hammer blows of ‘Night Wolf’ and the always-devastating ‘Knives and Faces’ leaving nothing behind but ringing ears, broken voices, and grinning faces.
Move over Stan Collymore, Cannock has a new king and it’s Raging Fuckin’ Speedhorn baby!
Photo Credits: Tim Finch Photography
Be the first to comment