Ranger, Enclave & Grim Justice

Helsinki speed metal quartet Ranger’s 2013 EP Knights of Darkness captured all the classic, leather-clad menace of the pre-thrash early ’80s with a demonic grin on its face. Few younger bands capture just how fucking fun heavy metal can be to listen to, but Ranger take riffs and speed very seriously and little else, which appeals to those wanting a rush without the seriousness of other, more extreme genres. On their full-length debut, Where Evil Dwells, they retain much of what made Knights memorable, while tweaking their sound just slightly to accommodate a longer running time.