Review RAUNCHY “Prisoner”

Raunchy are among the forerunners of modern metal from Denmark. The band made an impression back in 2001 with their striking debut album, Velvet Noise. Five more albums followed before things went quiet after the release of Vices.Virtues.Visions.. At some point, you had to wonder whether Raunchy were even still around. Well, now we have the answer in the form of a new album.

After 12 long years, Raunchy are back with Prisoner, and the band certainly took its time bringing this one to the finish line. The first drum tracking began as far back as 2021, giving fans hope that Raunchy were still active. The album’s title, Prisoner, also carries a deeper meaning. It is about how we can become trapped in our own thought patterns. Our inner world can become a limiting factor, and the challenge is to break free from those boundaries.

Raunchy have never been a band to lock themselves into one particular direction. Their music draws from a variety of influences, and that remains true on the new album. You could say that Prisoner is the most cinematic album from the Copenhagen-based band so far. At the same time, melodic death metal, metalcore, and modern metal all come together here. Add a stronger electronic and synth presence, and the result is an album with plenty of density and layers, something that really comes through on tracks like “Higher Truths.”

Right from the opener, “Frostbite,” atmospheric moments are combined with crushing riffs that give the song an industrial edge. What follows is the fast and aggressive “Stranded,” and even here, melodic elements find their way into the mix. As a counterpoint, there are songs such as the almost pop-leaning “Darkest Self,” showing once again that Raunchy are perfectly comfortable moving between different shades of their sound.

One thing that stands out is that Raunchy have gone for longer songs almost across the board. In fact, it is the closing title track that comes in under the five-minute mark. It is also the quietest moment on the entire album, built around a dense atmosphere rather than sheer musical force. With a touch of melancholy, “Prisoner” provides a calm and reflective ending that nevertheless fits naturally with everything that came before it. And after spending most of the album throwing heavy riffs at you, Raunchy basically decide to dim the lights and let you think for a moment.

After more than a decade, Denmark’s modern metal pioneers are back with a new album, and they remain true to the musical foundation that has always defined them. Of course, time has not passed Raunchy by without leaving a mark, and the band has clearly continued to evolve. At the same time, they have not thrown their earlier principles overboard. The result is an album that is fun to listen to, rewards repeated spins, and makes a welcome case for Raunchy’s return.