Release date: 31 October, 2025

Redshark, formed in Barcelona in 2012, delivers fierce 80s-inspired heavy/speed metal packed with crushing riffs, epic choruses, and a blazing live presence. After the Evil Realm EP and their first full-length Digital Race, the band returns with Sudden Impact, a record that sharpens their classic edge with a modern punch, drawing on influences from Judas Priest, Riot, and Savatage, and confirming their place among the strongest names in the genre.

Review

Like a cannonball smashing straight into a wall, “Sudden Impact” bursts open with full force. The opening track throws you into a whirlwind of blazing riffs and relentless rhythms, with gritty mid-to-high vocals lashing through speed metal phrasing and crossover-style hooks. Classic hard rock–inspired solos shine, with a bass interlude recalling the legendary Eagle Fly Free from Helloween, all building to a stormy finale. A flawless opener.

“A Place for Disgrace” is driven by chromatic riffing and punk-influenced drum patterns, switching between snare and kick with precision. The drums breathe life into the machine, alternating hi-hats, rides, and crashes with speed and flair. It’s a straightforward song but powered by rabid vocals, strong backing chants, and solos that balance flash and emotion.

“Fire Raider” raises the weight with palm-muted bursts, Painkiller-style double bass, and sharp chord progressions. Correas’ voice slices through with vibrato and dagger-like high notes, while the bass holds the heaviness beneath. A brief arpeggiated passage sets up a twin-guitar assault, one of the album’s defining moments.

“Your Last Breathe” immediately stands out with tom rolls and fills building into an epic hymn-like march. The mid-tempo pacing, heroic vocals, and orchestrated solos summon the spirit of Manowar, Riot, and Omen, pure USPM energy with a neoclassical edge. Interludes flow seamlessly, and the solos land with power. “Rip Your Bones” follows a similar path with slow, dragging riffs and a heavier dose of double bass from the start.

“Hipnotyzed” charges in with pedal-note riffs and a solo straight to the bone, pure speed metal with thrash undertones, while “Whisper of Time” goes full attack, built on sharp chromatic riffs, clean audible bass lines, and NWOBHM-inspired twin guitars.

“Beware of the Shark” opens with siren-like notes, keeping things raw and organic, its lead guitar solo adding sentiment and a touch of nostalgia, even slipping into progressive territory. “The Chase” starts with dungeon synth tones, a mysterious intro that would have fit as an album opener, though the song itself doesn’t push new ground.

“Fight the Rules of Power” closes the album with galloping twin guitars, crushing rhythm work, melodic phrasing, and solos loaded with delay, capturing European power metal flair in a finale that rewrites their catalog with strength and heart.

Conclusion

Redshark has built a solid discography over the years, and this new album steps confidently beyond their last release. Though the final third leans slightly repetitive, perhaps a ballad or more experimental track would have added variety, the album remains a sharp, well-constructed piece of heavy and speed metal with flawless twin-guitar execution, standout solos, and versatile drumming. It channels legends like Helloween, Judas Priest, and Manowar while maintaining a distinct personality and taste for neoclassical touches.

REDSHARK are :

Pau Correas – Vocals
Javier Bono – Guitars
Philip Graves – Guitars
Chris Carrest – Bass
Alan Llano – Drums

TheNwothm Score: 9/10

Links

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/redsharkmetal

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/redsharkmusic

Label:https://www.listenable.eu/