September 2026

Raunchy - Prisoner

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Diving In

It's been a while since we have heard from synth-metal band, Raunchy. It's been 12 years since the release of their previous effort, Vices.Virtues.Visions, which was the first Raunchy album to feature Mike Semesky on vocals after the band parted ways with vocalist Kasper Thomson. That album saw the band continue their synth-driven and trademark Raunchy sound, although, at the time, I wasn't convinced Mike's vocals were a great fit for the band. Fast forward to today and we've got their latest effort 'Prisoner', a comeback album of sorts that left me, a long time Raunchy fan, a bit underwhelmed. 

Sounds & Croaks

I like to give the full album several full spins and allow it to marinate before coming to any kind of conclusion on a record. Prisoner definitely benefited from this approach since my initial knee-jerk reaction was unfavorable at best. I want to be clear, there are some good things happening on this album and they come in the form of Jeppe Christiansen (synths/keyboards, clean vocals) and Morten Hansen (drums). Christiansen's synths and vocals are the highlight of every track and Hansen has been, what I would consider, extremely underrated as a metal drummer. Seriously, take a listen to any of his work from Velvet Noise to Prisoner and you'll see a creative and technically sound drummer giving maximum effort on every track. The entire band shines particularly on tracks 'Frameworker' and 'Designed Despair' when the Raunchy song composition is in full effect. 

Unfortunately, it's not all sunshine and rainbows for the band on this release. As I mentioned before on Raunchy's previous effort, Vices.Virtues.Visions, I didn't feel entirely comfortable with Mike Semesky stepping in for Kasper Thomson as lead vocalist. Mike is a fantastic vocalist in his own right and the work he previously did with Intervals was stellar but now that we've had two full releases with him fronting the band, it all but confirms it for me...he's not a great fit for Raunchy's style. It's never more evident than when they elect to, for some reason, utilize Semesky's clean vocals instead of relying on Christiansen's trademark cleans on some tracks on the record. It's a mind boggling choice that impacts the pacing and flow of the record. I was hoping to see the same leap Thomason made on his second record with the band Wasteland Discotheque (which is my favorite Raunchy album, I'm sure many Confusion Bay advocates will disagree) or the leap original vocalist Lars Vognstrup makes from Velvet Noise to Confusion Bay but Semesky doesn't make the same kind of leap. 

Flow and groove are other attributes that are missing from this record. The musical composition is more complex on Prisoner than previous efforts which leads to disruption when some tracks are starting to get groove heavy. Right when you start nodding your head or tapping your foot, the pace changes and you're left wondering what in the hell happened? Higher Truths is a good example of this, among others. It seems like the band was trying to add some depth to their formula and it ultimately leads to what I have dubbed as a schizophrenic listening experience that never fully allows you to settle in. 

Despite what is coming off as highly negative, this is a fine album, albeit the weakest Raunchy release in their catalog. It's a good but forgettable listen outside of a few tracks. Perhaps the 12 year hiatus is working against them here and subsequent releases will circle back to the the previous formula and solidity of prior releases. Either way, as a loyal fan since the Velvet Noise days, I'll be there ready for a listen!

The Wax Factor

Unfortunately, this is still in the can living in the US and A, since Raunchy hails from Denmark. It is in flight, so hopefully I'll be able to add some additional thoughts here after getting my hands on the wax! 

Standout Pond Picks & Tracklist

1. Frostbite
2. Stranded
3. Frameworker 
4. Darkest Self
5. Designed Despair
6. Higher Truths
7. Masquerade
8. Revealing I
9. Vanishing Act
10. Prisoner