Rating: 8.5 / 10 Stars
RISING INSANE is: Aaron Steineker – Vocals, Sven Polizuk – Guitar, Florian Köchy – Guitar, Ulf Hedenkamp – Bass, Robert Kühling – Drums
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REVIEW – RISING INSANE has spent years building momentum, but DEATHRACE sounds like the moment the German metalcore band finally stomps the accelerator through the floor. Their fifth full-length strips away some of the polished refinement surrounding previous material and replaces it with something more immediate, raw, and physical. The guitars feel bigger, the drums hit harder, and the record carries the kind of urgency that makes its 34-minute runtime fly by.
Released through Long Branch Records, DEATHRACE is built around aggressive riffs, melodic hooks, emotional weight, and a strong live mentality. RISING INSANE has not abandoned the accessibility that helped the band reach a wider audience, but this album clearly favors impact over polish. The songs feel designed to explode from a stage, with breakdowns, massive choruses, and sharp transitions constantly pushing the record forward.
The seven-second “INTRO” acts more like the ignition than a standalone song, throwing the listener directly into “DEATHRACE.” The title track immediately establishes the album’s attitude. Heavy guitars and urgent rhythms collide with a massive chorus while Aaron Steineker delivers the frustration and desperation at the center of the song. There is anger here, but also a call for people to stick together instead of allowing everything happening around them to pull them apart.
“COUNTDOWN” keeps the momentum moving with little breathing room. The pacing is one of DEATHRACE’s biggest strengths, and this early stretch feels deliberately constructed to move like the opening minutes of a live show. RISING INSANE keeps the energy high without simply repeating the same formula.
“OUTRAGE” adds a rhythmic, almost punk-driven aggression underneath one of the record’s larger melodic choruses. The track captures the balance that RISING INSANE handles well throughout the album: enough melody to make the hooks stick, but enough weight underneath them to keep the music dangerous.
“TRAUMATIZED” digs further into the emotional side of the record. RISING INSANE has always been strongest when heaviness and vulnerability occupy the same space, and the song benefits from that contrast. The aggressive sections hit harder because there is something personal behind them rather than aggression existing simply for its own sake.
“DARK,” featuring ACCVSED, is one of the album’s more vicious moments. The vocals become more abrasive, the riffs feel darker, and the track leans heavily into the primal side of the record. The collaboration fits naturally within DEATHRACE, adding another layer of aggression without distracting from RISING INSANE’s identity.
“NARCISSIST” continues the confrontational mood, driven by tension and a sense of frustration that never completely lets go. The album’s middle section becomes increasingly heavy, but the pacing prevents the songs from becoming exhausting.
“DIRT” pushes further into that uglier emotional territory. The riffs carry weight, the rhythm section feels physical, and the song reinforces the sense that DEATHRACE is not interested in making everything comfortable. RISING INSANE allows the rough edges to remain visible, which gives the record much of its personality.
“GREY,” featuring David Schneider of The Butcher Sisters, introduces another guest appearance while keeping the album’s larger direction intact. The feature adds contrast, but the song still sounds completely at home within the record rather than feeling like a collaboration added simply to attract attention.
“ERROR,” featuring Steven Jones of Bleed From Within, is one of the album’s strongest tracks. Jones also co-produced the record, and his involvement feels especially natural here. The song balances darker emotion with crushing instrumentation, creating one of the better examples of how RISING INSANE combines modern metalcore heaviness with memorable songwriting.
“GOOD ENOUGH,” featuring Matt Flood of Caskets, closes the album by leaning more strongly into melody without losing the weight established throughout the record. The song had already surpassed one million streams before the full album arrived, and it is easy to hear why. The hook is immediate, the emotional delivery is strong, and the collaboration gives the closing track another dimension.
One of the most interesting things about DEATHRACE is the way the album feels divided into two experiences. The opening half moves with a more continuous, almost live-show flow, with tracks feeding into one another and maintaining a constant sense of momentum. The second half becomes more dynamic and collaboration-heavy, with guest vocalists and different textures giving each song a more individual identity.
That structure works because the album never loses focus.
RISING INSANE understands that a heavy album does not need to be overloaded with ideas to remain interesting. The band relies heavily on guitars, organic drums, strong vocal performances, and well-timed melodic hooks instead of burying the songs under unnecessary electronics. That gives DEATHRACE a more physical sound than many modern metalcore records.
Aaron Steineker moves convincingly between aggression and melody, giving the songs enough emotional range to keep them from feeling one-dimensional. Sven Polizuk and Florian Köchy provide the guitar attack at the center of the album, while Ulf Hedenkamp and Robert Kühling give the record its low-end power and rhythmic drive.
The guest appearances also strengthen the record. ACCVSED, David Schneider, Steven Jones, and Matt Flood each bring something different, but none of them take control away from RISING INSANE. The album always sounds like the band knows exactly what it wants to be.
There is also no question that these songs are built for the stage. RISING INSANE has spent years developing its reputation as a live band while sharing stages with acts including Papa Roach, Of Mice & Men, Stray From the Path, Callejon, and Annisokay. DEATHRACE feels like that experience being compressed into an album.
The breakdowns feel designed for pits. The choruses are made to be screamed back at the stage. The riffs demand movement.
At the same time, the record is not simply thirty-four minutes of brute force. There is anger, frustration, vulnerability, despair, and determination running underneath the heaviness. The music reflects the feeling of living in a world that seems to keep accelerating while becoming increasingly unstable.
That tension gives DEATHRACE its personality.
The album is not perfect. Listeners who prefer the more polished or melodic side of RISING INSANE may find parts of the record relentlessly heavy, and some of the songs rely on similar rhythmic ideas. But the short runtime works in the band’s favor. Nothing overstays its welcome, and there is very little wasted space.
DEATHRACE succeeds because RISING INSANE sounds hungry again. The band has taken the melodic foundation it already established and pushed it toward something heavier, dirtier, and more immediate.
This is not a reinvention.
It is RISING INSANE taking everything that already worked and driving it harder.
DEATHRACE is aggressive, emotional, fast-moving, and built for the stage. The riffs hit, the hooks stick, and the guest appearances add variety without distracting from the band’s identity.
RISING INSANE may have spent years building momentum, but on DEATHRACE, they finally sound ready to floor it.
For more information on RISING INSANE, visit:
www.RisingInsane.de
www.Facebook.com/RisingInsaneBand
www.Instagram.com/Rising_Insane
www.TikTok.com@Rising_Insane
www.Spotify.com/Artist/RisingInsane
