Raging Speedhorn are a British
heavy metal band, founded in
Corby
Corby is a town in North Northamptonshire, England, located north-east of Northampton. From 1974 to 2021, the town served as the administrative headquarters of the Borough of Corby. At the 2011 Census, the built-up area had a population of ...
,
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
.
Career
Raging Speedhorn were formed in 1998 from the merging of the bands Soulcellar and Box. The band quickly established itself as a major presence within the UK's metal scene.
Raging Speedhorn featured two vocalists, a style largely inspired by the UK
hardcore band Hard to Swallow (which featured Bloody Kev who would join Raging Speedhorn as their second vocalist after the departure of
Frank Regan in 2005). The band's first single, "Thumper" (produced by
Marc Heal), was released in 2000 to significant critical acclaim. In 2001, they charted in the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
with "The Gush".
On early Raging Speedhorn recordings, the music can be characterised by pounding
basslines, heavily distorted
riff
A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompanim ...
-thick guitarwork and subject content consisting generally (but certainly not exclusively) of
hedonism
Hedonism refers to a family of theories, all of which have in common that pleasure plays a central role in them. ''Psychological'' or ''motivational hedonism'' claims that human behavior is determined by desires to increase pleasure and to decre ...
, drug use, violence, antipathy for major band labels and depression.
''
Before the Sea Was Built
''Before the Sea Was Built'' is the fourth album by UK sludgecore band Raging Speedhorn, released in 2007. ''Before the Sea Was Built'' was the final Raging Speedhorn album before their hiatus from 2008 - 2014, featuring vocalist Bloody Kev ...
'' was the only album the band produced with Larry Hibbitt, of
Hundred Reasons
Hundred Reasons are an English alternative rock band from Aldershot, Hampshire, and Teddington, South West London, formed in 1999. The band consists of Colin Doran (vocals), Larry Hibbitt (guitar, vocals), Andy Gilmour (bass) and Andy Bews ( ...
. It was released on 11 September 2007 through Steamhammer, a subsidiary of
SPV Records.
On 25 March 2008, it was announced the band would split after a final tour. Members joined other bands elsewhere, including
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a ...
, Wales, and
Stockholm, Sweden. John Loughlin, Jay Thompson and Dave Thompson were in the metal band The Death of Us as of 2013.
On 18 February 2014, it was announced that the band would reform to perform at
Damnation Festival
Damnation Festival is a one-day heavy metal music festival currently held annually at Bowlers Exhibition Centre. Manchester. It was held at held at Jilly's Rockworld in Manchester from 2005 to 2006 and then University of Leeds, Leeds, England ...
in November 2014. Both John Loughlin and Frank Regan would feature on vocals, with the band showcasing tracks from their debut and sophomore albums. The band was also confirmed to play the UK leg of the 2014
Sonisphere festival.
On 3 July 2014, the band played a sold-out hometown show with support from The Darkhorse and Heart of a Coward as a warm-up prior to playing at
Sonisphere two days later. On 7 July 2014, an eleven-date UK tour was announced.
In January 2016, the band recorded their new full-length record, ''
Lost Ritual'', with
Russ Russell at the Parlour Studios in
Kettering
Kettering is a market and industrial town in North Northamptonshire, England. It is located north of London and north-east of Northampton, west of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. The name means "the place (or territory) of ...
.
On 14 September 2018, it was announced that guitarists Jim Palmer and Jamie Thompson had left the band.
On 6 October 2018, the band performed a 20th-anniversary show at the
Electric Ballroom in London with the original lineup (John Loughlin, Frank Regan, Gordon Morison, Tony Loughlin, Gareth Smith & Darren Smith).
On 19 December 2018, it was announced that James Palmer and Dave Leese had joined the band on guitars. It was announced in September 2019 that Daniel Cook would be replacing John Loughlin after 21 years.
Members
Current
*Frank Regan – vocals (1998–2008, 2014–present)
*Daniel Cook – vocals (2019–present)
*James Palmer – guitar (2018–present)
*Daf Williams – guitar (2022–present)
*Andy Gilmour – bass (2019–present)
*Gordon Morison – drums (1998–2008, 2014–present)
Former
* Dave Leese – guitar (2018–2022)
* Tony Loughlin – guitar
* Darren Smith – bass (1998–2006)
* Gareth Smith – guitar
* Bloody Kev – vocals
* Jay Thompson – guitar
* Dave Thompson – bass
* John Loughlin – vocals (1998–2008, 2014–2019)
Discography
Studio albums
*''
Raging Speedhorn'' (2000)
*''
We Will Be Dead Tomorrow'' (2002)
*''
How the Great Have Fallen'' (2005)
*''
Before the Sea Was Built
''Before the Sea Was Built'' is the fourth album by UK sludgecore band Raging Speedhorn, released in 2007. ''Before the Sea Was Built'' was the final Raging Speedhorn album before their hiatus from 2008 - 2014, featuring vocalist Bloody Kev ...
'' (2007)
*''
Lost Ritual'' (2016)
*''
Hard to Kill'' (2020)
Live albums
*''Live and Demos' (2004)
*''20 Year Anniversary Show'' (2018)
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
British nu metal musical groups
English heavy metal musical groups
Musical groups established in 1998
Musical groups disestablished in 2008
Musical groups reestablished in 2014
Sludge metal musical groups