A primeval-toned adventure through unknown ancient realms of mystic savagery this fourth full-length album from Mannheim, Germany-based speed metal quartet CRUEL FORCE takes the listener back to the iron-aged mindset and methodology once more, adhering to the highest standard in the process. Unaffected by the nuclear haze of the new-what-now ‘Haneda‘ is pure mid-80’s speed/thrash metal in spirit, sound and vision a feat which serves to deeper forge and legitimize their reborn identity. You won’t find a more authentic and righteously incensed speed metal record in 2026 thus far.

Cruel Force lived and died between 2008 and 2012 having released two of the better black/thrash metal records of that era, both of which are well worth owning. You’ll get some brilliant context from trawling back to those days but it won’t provide total provenance for where the band’ve been since reforming in 2022. After their ten year hiatus they’d mutated further back in time away from the mid-90’s ideation of black/thrash and toward a sound heavily inspired by the pre-‘Hell Awaits‘ era of sinister speed metal and primarily the Teutonic variant. The resulting comeback record (‘Dawn of the Axe‘, 2023) which I’d reviewed favorably spoke to Slayer‘s early reach across the globe but more clearly intended to tribute German heavy/speed metal from early Running Wild and Living Death to better known names. I’d referenced Kat (Poland), early Hallow’s Eve and ‘Riders of Doom‘ when writing about that record and still think that more-or-less gets you there by proxy but the band are pretty adamant about adding themselves to the German metal pantheon with their work.

Though I wouldn’t blame any given passerby or metal tourist for viewing Cruel Force‘s third album as “retro” 80’s metal kitsch in some sense it was in fact a remarkable example of studied authenticity, ‘tude and wild taste creating a nuke. By iterating directly upon that prior high standard, expanding their shred skills, amping the production values and sticking to writing true heavy metal pieces for this fourth album they’ve reinforced a certain level of legitimacy for this directive. ‘Haneda‘ finds the band effectively reeking of the charisma of auld far beyond the norm otherwise amping the clarity and presence of the vocals and better featuring the drum recordings this time around. Consistency counts in this regard as the aesthetic and sound design of this album carry on (but improve) what came before it, a comfortable place to return to as these folks put on a bigger show.

Much of the good metal health built here of course comes via Side A, emulating the introduction of the previous album with “The Cross” before the pick-scraping and tom rolling kick into lead single “Whips-a-Swinging“. Although this’ll make more sense once you’ve hit “Crystal Skull” I’d gotten the impression that these folks had been listening to earlier Megadeth (or, Scorpions) nearby the compositional process here (see: ~2:22 minutes into “Whips…”) which I guess checks out per the liner notes suggesting the recording involved “a ton of alcohol and coke“. I don’t know that that observation defines the album in a profound way so much as suggests they’ve baked some of the best ideas found in earlier speed/thrash metal heyday within their work. That said vocals from Carnivore (Sacrifixion) are entirely declarative, carrying early Araya-esque cadence without implying overt melody, leaving the tunefulness of their work to all the shredding that cracks on throughout the whole deal. Expect that standard of lead guitar flinging, fill-heavy transitions, and generally stone temple echoed rapt aggression to uphold for the first four tracks.

If you don’t get a lick of “Into the Lungs of Hell” from instrumental “Crystal Skull” we’ve got differently built ears but in any case I’d loved how the band leave plenty of room for performance on songs like this, likewise providing ideal transition into Side B in the process. For my own taste the first half of this record shows ’em how, a more metal than thou showing of skill revolving around ~four minute speed metal songs of the utmost trad-gauged caliber, but the latter half puts on a real show. Each of the four songs on the second half is worthy of mention but I think the epic stride of “Warlords” and the throat-cutting riffs of “Black Talon” are two of Cruel Force‘s best pieces since reforming. The passage from “Crystal Skull” through “Black Talon” engages a part of my brain that speed/thrash metal rarely has beyond the late 80’s and not for all of the referential interest and sound design so much as these folk’s willingness to engage in the art of the album, making it a presentation rather than a clump of related songs.

Every song here hits, every piece has its own claws that bite and there isn’t a weak showing among ’em. Cruel Force have outdone themselves pretty directly in the sense that one can find a more deft hand and louder voice in every song on ‘Haneda‘ versus its already insanely above-average prior LP. It is rare that I pick over the contents of a throwback speed metal record so thoroughly over the course of a few months yet still find myself inspired by the details as much as the songs themselves. Also it is worth something that the cover artwork from Maegan LeMay, who’d also illustrated ‘Dawn of the Axe‘, had me wanting a t-shirt before I’d finished my first spin through the record. Cheesy as it might sound whether it were 1986 or 2026 when I’m digging through crates this is exactly the type of record I’m reaching for first. A very high recommendation.

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