[Cover art by Vrugarth Doom]
The last time we saw the Nightfighter, our hero had barely escaped with their life from the future city of Megalopolis. The sprawling cyber municipality took its toll out on the brash street urchin raised in the tuff streets of Turbo City [see Stunner’s debut, Turbo City for the full scoop! -Ed.]. It concluded, as these things tend to do, with the Nightfighter riding forward to valor into the sunset–but things are far from over for our Warrior Of Time Eternal. As foreshadowed in the epilogue of the band’s sophomore album, a street war is on the rise…
That Nightfighter is one bad motha! -Ed.
Eventually, the story began to reveal itself in the songs. The band’s mascot, the Nightfighter [named for the song on the eponymous Nightfighter demo! -Ed.], had enough and stepped out into the streets of Turbo City to set some shit right. The album chronicles the trials the leather-clad hero must endure, from facing evil forces on the title track [Check it for a great example of how Stunner milk every bit of fun out of a simple, catchy riff! -Ed.] to grappling with loneliness on “Lone Wanderer” to learning how to have a blast while kickin’ ass on the anthemic “Wheels Of Fire” to bravely facing an unknown future on “Into The Night.” And this is where it gets really weird [and maybe corny! -Ed.]: I began to relate not only to the songs, but in some way to the Nightfighter. All the bullshit I had to deal with one a day-to-day basis, I could just hit ’em with the Stunner and slip into the Nightfighter guise for a bit, letting the Cosmic Chariot take me to a realm where I could just beat my troubles up like a couple of goons in the back alleys of Turbo City. It was, to put it quite simply, empowering.
The mythos extended into Stunner’s sophomore effort, 2022’s 2099. Hurling the Nightfighter from the home turf of Turbo City into the overwhelming sprawl of Megalopolis [named for the song of the same name! -Ed.], the album is a bit of a tougher nut to crack than the catchier charm of the debut. While staying true to their dedication to heavy metal rock ‘n’ roll, it is a bit more ambitious in its songwriting. I’ll admit, it took a bit for it to grow its place in the story for me despite the instant hook in the lick of the title track, the twin riff of “Megalopolis,” and the rip ridin’ “Forward To Valor.” The record is a bit more solemn and dark, the lighthearted fun of Turbo City all but lost in the shadows of the overwhelming cybernetic metropolis–the darkness reaching its maximum peak in the synth-and reverb washed melancholy of “Warrior Of Time Eternal.” A hard sell at first, but it steadily became a favorite track on the album the more I listened and related to the perils of the Nightfighter–A lesson in finding the strength in the heart of the songs.
So, to the point at hand [finally! -Ed.]: How does Stunner’s latest EP, Motor Worship fit into all of this? Its cover features the Nightfighter wrapping some leather clad thighs around the goddamn Painkiller bike, so there’s definitely an expectation for some High Calibre Shit™ [language, please! -Ed.]. And you know what? It delivers. The band’s decision to work with producer and fellow Floridian John Howard [of Casey Jones for you hardcore punk fans! -Ed.] was an excellent choice–this is the sharpest and most immediate Stunner have sounded since their inception and a more accurate representation of their live energy. Four songs that hit with the force of four full-page layout spreads representing the best of Stunner to date.
- “Motor Worship” kicks off with the growl of an engine, a growl that matches the burning energy of the full band firing on all cylinders from the collapsing weight of Megalopolis, victoriously burning down the winding highways to the rallying cries of the Black Motor Cult. It matches the cover to a T, the Nightfighter brazenly and triumphantly throwing the flaming sword toward the heavens as the wind whips by. This is the most fun Stunner have had since “Wheels Of Fire” and a hell of a start to the EP. The leads melt like molten rubber over the verses, the solos scraping the pavement like the metallic nails of the Nightfighter scraping the asphalt around a particularly tight turn. Our hero has been through hell and come out screaming for fuckin’ vengeance.
- “The Chalice” is the most NWOBHM Stunner have hit to date. There’s the bounce and energy of Saxon and Holocaust to the Nightfighter’s swagger into the Heavy Metal Roadhouse that plays out like the cocky grin that accompanies throwing loaded dice or knowing there’s an ace up your sleeve that you ain’t afraid to pull. A bit of the cosmic energy of the lessons of 2099 gleams in the eye of the Nightfighter as the reverb/delay [guitar effect nerds, sound off in the comments! -Ed.] drenched solo sparkles like starfire on the oiled reflection of rock ‘n’ roll crafted by the roughness of working hands.
- The blue-collar, grease-monkey energy bleeds right over to “Lord Of Bones.” Kicking off with a high speed punch to the groin, the song finds a groove in a salad of interlocking riff/lead spotlights–all of a sudden the dichotomy between Turbo City and 2099 find a home in the more ambitious works of Di’Anno-era Iron Maiden. While it doesn’t necessarily advance this made-up story I have for the Nightfighter, it is nonetheless one of the most important singular frames in revealing the power of the character as it zooms effortlessly up the mountain.
- “With violence and force, you know what I mean! [Exciter fans do! – Ed.] A reckless barrage of endless speed!” cries vocalist “Daniel Schex,” and they aren’t wrong. An apt conclusion to an EP titled Motor Worship, “Endless Speed” serves as a bookend prayer. It captures the urgency of early speed metal a la Exciter–it doesn’t have to be the fastest thing you’ve every heard to belay that sense of urgency and immediacy of two burnin’ wheels holding onto the road for dear life [that’s what we call torque, baby! -Ed.]. Again, the traded solos of guitarists “Prince Regent Johnald Fairplay” and “Peter Applebee” throw sparks across pavement with style and flair as the Nightfighter confidently navigates the winding roads, laughing with adrenaline addled, high octane glee towards an unknown destiny.
Motor Worship lands so well for me because it’s a perfect representation of the prior works of the band–the instant relatability of Turbo City and the ambition of 2099 meeting at a point sharped with punctuated, dynamic production and sleek, turbocharged, and aerodynamic songwriting that will appeal to fans and new listeners alike. It reminds folks that have been there from the beginning that the Nightfighter is a badass and will always find the road to triumph, as well as introducing the character to new audiences through the power and immediacy of the music. At its core, Motor Worship is that four-page feature spread of the band doing what they do best: hittin’ ’em with the Stunner and playing some damn fine, gruff, relatable heavy metal rock ‘n’ roll. Whether or not it gives you the confidence to tell your editor to fuck off for being too cheeky in your articles as you steal the motorcycle he didn’t deserve anyway, zooming dangerously along the edges of comic book panels to follow your reluctant cosmic destiny of delivering street justice to everything that sucks in this world because you felt like its what you were born to do, well, that’s up to you, Nightfighter. [Please see me in my office immediately! -Ed.]
