Frustration. Anger. Violence. Unemployment. Poverty. Cheap lager. Strong inhalants. These are a few of Corby’s favourite things. Once a proud steel town in Northamptonshire populated largely by Glaswegians who moved south to find work, the turn for the worse in Corby came 20 years ago when the steel industry collapsed and left most of the town with nothing to do and nowhere to go. Fast forward to today and walk straight into the realm of those who grew up in this environment, and you’ll meet the six members of Raging Speedhorn.
A band with two lead vocalists is rare within the context of Metal, but Frank Regan and John Loughlin augment their aggressive attacks with rapid-fire tradeoffs most often found in rap groups. Along with guitarists Gareth Smith and Tony Loughlin, bassist Darren Smith and drummer Gordon Morison, Raging Speedhorn have stockpiled more than twenty songs in just over a year together. Though based around a full-frontal assault from all musical directions, the songs are further strengthened by a willingness to let riffs breathe and chords hang. The end result is a groove so deep that resistance is futile, as the 800 people who got hold of one of demos the band distributed during the latter half of 1999 found out. Tracks from that tape also ended up on three compilation albums ('Superscud' on Century Media Records,'Knives And Faces' on Org Records, 'Random Acts Of Violence' on Blank Canvas Records)
Live activity has been constant from spring 1999 onwards, with the band racking up 70 shows in seven months. In addition to touring smaller venues throughout the country, the band has also scored support slots for Ministry, Karma To Burn, Iron Monkey, Snapcase, A.C. and Consolidated. In November 1999, the band undertook a 21-date Kerrang! magazine-sponsored UK tour with earthtone9 that was immediately followed by a shorter tour with California’s Will Haven. After the holidays, Raging Speedhorn will maintain a constant gig schedule, including a Metal Hammer - sponsored magazine tour in march.
The overall vibe thus far has been summed up in a short EPK, which features live footage and interviews on location in Corby and provides a remarkably accurate introduction to the band. A rerecorded version of demo favourite 'Thumper' was included on Metal Hammer magazine's december 1999 cover mount CD, with Mark Heal (Cubanate) and Doug Martin sharing production duties on the track. This new version of 'Thumper' and 'Superscud' have also made larger waves by finding their way into regular rotation on Ian Camfield's Xfm Rock Show. the band will release their debut Ep in the spring of 2000, which has been produced by John Friar (Nine Inch Nails, Cradle of Filth, White Zombie).
The sound and fury are there to hear - strap in, crank up, and hold on for dear life.
