Kate’s ACID are a heavy/speed metal band from Belgium founded in 2019 by singer Kate de Lombaert, releasing the bands debut album ‘Hellbender’ in 2026.
Well I say founded in 2019, and debut album too, when in reality the band, formerly known as ACID was born in the early eighties, releasing three full length albums before disbanding during the mid-eighties – singer Kate resurrecting the band in 2019 under the (new) name Kate’s ACID. Appearances at Keep It True Rising (2021) and Keep It True (2023) resulted in the 2024 live album ‘Blowing Your Ears Off’, and now with an array of new musicians, Kate’s ACID release ‘Hellbender’. The line-up for the album features guitarist Geert Annys, bass player Camilo “Thunder Screamer” Ortega (Axe Steeler) and drummer Ashley “Ash” Ysewyn alongside Kate, ‘Hellbender’ nine songs and thirty eight “foot on the monitor” minutes long, the title song kicking the tyres and lighting the fires!
And the pace and power pouring outta ‘Hellbender’ (the song) is spot-on, the band galloping hard straight through the heart of traditional metal territory, every listener everywhere vigorously rocking their head back and forth – is there any other style of head banging suited to heavy metal of this nature? No there fucking isn’t, ‘Taking Back My Wings’ dropping a gear but remaining firmly and squarely in traditional metal territory, the glorious sound of eighties heavy metal very much alive in the hands of the Belgian metallers! I grew up as a teenager during the eighties so I know exactly what that sound is – and the effect it has, the opening brace a barnstorming double to delight and excite heavy metal fans and followers all around the world, ‘The Lightning Conductor’ restoring searing pace and power to the fore! The fastest song out of the first three on offer, ‘The Lightning Conductor’ is gonna send every mosh pit into fucking overdrive, the head of every mosher rocking back and forth at an extreme rate of knots!
What a tremendous threesome to get pulses racing and hearts pounding, Kate’s ACID planting smiles a mile wide on the faces of everyone as ‘Riding Out’ storms outta the gate with a heavier tempo and feel than all of the previous songs put together! And the iconic metal gallop is in fine fettle too, the Belgians placing their collective feet on the old school heavy metal monitor to assume the classic metal pose – ‘Do Not Burn The Witch’ sizzling red hot with the instantly recognisable NWOBHM guitar tone! And I swear if you didn’t already know the band are from Belgium, you’d think they were a British band such is the British nature of the bands sound, ‘Valkyrie’ striding forth with an eerie atmosphere as the band quickly proceed to slam the accelerator to the floor! And with some venom too it has to be said, Kate’s ACID at full throttle to keep heads rocking all night long ’til the morning dawn and from here to eternity!
An all out traditional metal attack since the album began, the Belgian four-piece dip their toes across the border wall into hard rock territory for ‘Buccaneers’, the old school metal and rock mix sounding as good now as it did over forty years ago when I first heard it! And the intensity of ‘Hellbender’ (the album) – spot-on, no-one’s going anywhere right now as the band storm on with ‘Stormchaser’. A little anthemic in nature, ‘Stormchaser’ actually maintains the metal and rock mix from the previous song, heads rocking less vigorously at the moment as the band lighten the heaviness of the album! And talking of lightening the heaviness, the ninth and final song on offer ‘Air Raid’ lightens it so much ‘Hellbender’ (the album) falls into balladry! Yes readers, balladry – Kate’s ACID inviting every listener, fan and follower to raise lighters high in the air and sway from side to side.
Overall, a barnstorming barrage of foot to the floor foot on the monitor traditional heavy metal with sky high head bang ability.
TRACKLIST
Hellbender
Taking Back My Wings
The Lightning Conductor
Riding Out
Do Not Burn The Witch
Valkyrie
Buccaneers
Stormchaser
Air Raid
Kate’s ACID: Facebook
Release Year: 2026
Label: High Roller Records
Category: Album
Country: Belgium
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire and Metal-Roos.
