Following the success of their debut Barbed Wire Metal in 2011 and the Heart Racer EPin 2015,Elm Street are firing up the metal scene with their new album Knock Em Out…With A Metal Fist. It’s an adrenalin booster, with an explosion of twin guitar riffs and drums that instantly make you want to head bang.
The record starts off with Face The Reaper, which begins with acoustics that layer the song with a tender overtone, but the band then weaves some smashing guitar riffs and drums to break up the softness, instilling suspense in the listener. The vocalist Ben Batres then screams and you suddenly feel like you’re on a rollercoaster, as that fast paced hardcore bliss breaks out.
Next is Kiss The Canvas, which kicks off with soaring guitars and upbeat drums. Batres growls into the microphone ‘here comes the twist of the day, right after nine to five, eyes up chin down, time to settle the score,’ and the song continues to be an adrenaline booster just like its predecessor. There’s also Sabbath, which has a catchy drum beat that gallops throughout the song.
Heart Racer has some phenomenal guitar riffs, and when Batres snarls ‘back on the streets, on the run from the law, see us coming, she sent me back for more,’ it completes the rebellious rock’n’roll vibe of the track. The album concludes with Leave It All Behind, a melodic song that showcases the band’s softer side.
BY CHRISTINE TSIMBIS
