INTERCEPTOR – Metal Death - The Metal Channel

Interceptor’s Metal Death sounds like something right out of the ‘80s. The comparisons to Venom are not unfounded. Interceptor’s vocalist and bassist, Blake Arendelle, has a delivery that sounds very much like Cronos.

I must admit, I had a hard time sleeping last week. As I lay there, tossing and turning, I wondered what it would be like to be buried alive like in that 2010 movie, Buried, starring Ryan Reynolds.

Inevitably, my thoughts of film turned to music, and I started to think about songs I knew about people being buried alive.

The first song that came to mind was “Premature Burial” by Malevolent Creation, but the death metal vibe of that song was too hopelessly extreme for a cold night in Chicago.

My thoughts soon shifted to a song that’s always been stuck in my head, “Buried Alive” by Venom. The somber funeral style opening has always resonated well with me, a throwback to metal’s origins when the genre was still being defined. This is from an era when guys dressed in leather and spikes could write awesome songs about witches, pentagrams and Satan without having to take themselves seriously.

A time before extreme metal meant screaming about murder and torture. When song lyrics didn’t have to be about mutilating women or molesting children. Believe it or not, there was an age when metal didn’t take itself so seriously, it was simply meant to be fun.

I think the group Interceptor from South Carolina understands this style of metal. Established back in 2022, many critics have labeled them as a ‘modern version’ of Venom. I saw the band live last year when I attended Dark Angel, Sacred Reich and Hirax at Reggie’s Rock Club (2105 South State Street, Chicago, IL) and I tend to agree.

I picked up a copy of the band’s most recent album, Metal Death, (2025) and decided it was time to give it a quick review.

Interceptor’s Metal Death sounds like something right out of the ‘80s. The comparisons to Venom are not unfounded. Interceptor’s vocalist and bassist, Blake Arendelle, has a delivery that sounds very much like Cronos. In my opinion his vocals are perfect for the raw and violent vibe of this music.

A seemingly perfect combination of southern rock and speed metal. The southern twang is fitting for a purposely unpolished production. Highlight tracks for me are: “Fire”, “Confederate Cannibal”, “Axe Warrior” and “Metal Death”.

Metal Death is the kind of album that stands as a reminder to me of why I treasure metal in the first place. It’s filthy, blazing fast, and shows no mercy, but it’s never sloppy. The production values are intentionally low and help the band tap into reckless ’80s energy without feeling like a knockoff. It’s an excellent modern-day throwback to the more brash sound of metal, the band sounds alive, hungry, and committed to barbarity.

This is a direction that can bring metal back into the mainstream. Check out Interceptor’s Metal Death and let their command of chaos bring out the speed metal in you! \m/