Kate’s Acid – Hellbender
Release Date: 20th March 2026
Label: High Roller Records
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Genre: Heavy Metal
FFO: Natthammer, Bronze, Burning Witches, Lady Beast, Sanhedrin, Savage Master, Tower.
Review By: Mark Waight
When Kate de Lombaert resurrected 80s speed metal pioneers Acid in 2019 under the shiny new moniker of Kate’s Acid, many of us of a certain age were prone to looking up from our morning papers and grinning at the prospect of hearing from this trailblazing band once more.
Kate’s Acid is Kate de Lombaert (vocals), Geert Annys (guitar), Camilo (Thunder Screamer) Ortega (bass) and Ash (drums).
Now nearly seven years on from the rebirth, a brand-new album is finally here. Has it all been worth the wait? Let’s tuck in and see!
Roaring in on a racetrack fresh out of Hades, the title track “Hellbender” sets a blistering early pace. It’s catchy, it’s lightning fast and a smoking hot tune to boot, rocking you all the way through to the chequered flag!
A tad slower and a touch heavier, “Taking Back My Wings” is a spot-on, hard-thumping rock song with an epic old-school guitar solo. The sparks literally do fly in this banger, raining down on you from above in a superb six-stringed axe attack frenzy!
Sticking to the subject of sparks, very big ones in this case, “The Lightning Conductor” is a highly charged bolt of pure heavy metal thunder that rattles your bones right down to the core, leaving you shaking and quivering in your boots!
Rocking and rolling back the years, “Riding Out” is a classic heart-pounding, fist-raising old-school anthem. Hellfire, I’m a teenager once again, or at least I was the last time they made red-hot tunes like this on a regular basis!
Forcing the pedal firmly to the metal with a stark fire-and-brimstone warning, “Do Not Burn the Witch” winds back the clock to a time when heavy metal was pure escapism. The world was a much simpler and better place then!
If heavy metal truly is the music of the Norse gods, then the halls of Odin surely do rock to the beautiful sound of tracks like “Valkyrie”. With horns full of mead, the company of fallen warriors and beautiful shield maidens, what more could any metalhead want?
Historically, “Buccaneers” and privateers sailed the seven seas in search of bounty, plunder and hordes of treasure for personal gain. You, however, don’t have to travel quite that far to find any pots of gold or gems because they’re right here in musical form for your ears to behold!
Just like a naturally occurring hurricane, “Stormchaser” has quiet, humble beginnings before the power gradually begins to pick up and it evolves over time into an off-the-scale heavy metal cyclone before gently petering out. Batten down the hatches, hold onto your hats and enjoy the ride!
Epic slow-burning curtain closer “Air Raid” is the perfect finish to a top-drawer, top-of-the-class album. This song has everything that constitutes a classic rock song and then some; it’s a very timely reminder of just why we all love this genre so much. Don’t just take my word for it, though; check it out for yourself!
If someone asked me what the definition of a true heavy metal album is and what modern-day releases fit that category, “Hellbender” would most certainly be near the pinnacle of that list! Kate’s Acid really brings that old-school authenticity back to the genre once more, and the metal world is all the better for it! Very Highly Recommended!
(4.5 / 5)
