Whipstriker - Merciless Artillery album review

Brazilian metal maniac skewers his influences on his sleeve

Cover art for Whipstriker - Merciless Artillery album

You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.

Brazil’s Whipstriker is a one-man underground machine with 29 releases so far, mostly singles and split EPs, as well as dozens from other bands he has been involved with. No one can question his work ethic and luckily the quality does not suffer. Merciless Artillery, which is album number four, belches eight slices of frenetic punk-tinged thrashing metal that never outstay their welcome. The Voivod-esque artwork sets the scene. Titles like Mantas’ Black Mass and Soldier Of Sodom leave you in no doubt. All eyes are firmly on the mid-80s – Motörhead and Exciter riffs meet Razor and early Slayer in a derelict building, get drunk on cheap cider and wake in the morning with black eyes. There is little time for subtlety or finesse; this is metal for drinking and headbanging. No idea what Enemies Leather means but damn, it sounds good.