Sex with Satan? The band behind this madness is none other than Piledriver. Canada has always been one of the most potent sources of Thrash Metal, and you can often hear echoes of both German aggression and Bay Area speed in the bands that emerged from its underground. One such band was Piledriver, founded in 1984 by the unhinged frontman Gordon Kirchin. Despite only releasing two albums, Piledriver managed to carve out a memorable place in the genre. Their style was uniquely savage, yet cloaked in a fun, almost cartoonish atmosphere—an odd but fascinating blend. The chaos came with lyrics rooted in death, Satan, sex, and depravity—an all-out assault on the senses. Their 1985 debut Metal Inquisition is a crushing, genre-blurring classic, weaving elements of Thrash, Hard Rock, and Punk into a sonic punch to the face.
It’s worth noting that Piledriver had a marked influence on the Black Metal scene, especially with songs like “Sex With Satan” and “Sodomize The Dead,” which were later covered by Marduk. It's astonishing that such simplistic songwriting could be so wildly charismatic. Musically, the album is a wild concoction of Thrash’s noise and chaos, fused with elements of Punk, Glam Rock, and NWOBHM. Imagine a sonic Frankenstein of Speed Metal, Thrash, and a touch of Power—it’s all here across just 7 tracks, each one brimming with irresistible energy. The album features only two musicians: Gordon Kirchin on vocals, and Leslie Howe performing all instruments.
A quick note before we dive in: Piledriver’s second album featured an entirely different set of musicians, apart from Kirchin. The glam influence woven into this thrash foundation brings to mind the rowdy energy of Ratt, Mötley Crüe, and WASP. You also get the sarcastic joy of Punk, the party vibe of Glam, the blunt force of Motörhead, the satanic haze of Venom, the velocity of Slayer, and the bite of German Thrash—all colliding in one manic display. With raw vocals, relentless riffs, old-school spirit, and twisted lyrics, the album finds a perfect balance. While not loaded with variation, the Motörhead-like hooks that do appear are highly engaging, and Kirchin’s raspy, sneering voice is a perfect match for the aggressive tone of the music.
Let it be said: there’s not a single throwaway track here. But the title track “Metal Inquisition” stands out as one of the band’s most iconic and genre-defining songs. It’s a landmark of Extreme Metal. Alongside it, tracks like “Witch Hunt,” “Sex With Satan,” and “Sodomize The Dead” carry the album’s fire. That opening anthem “Metal Inquisition” alone is enough to showcase the band’s musical and lyrical prowess. With buzzing guitars, thunderous drums, and Kirchin’s snarling vocals, it’s a pure Speed Metal onslaught. The lyrics—“If you're not a Metalhead, you might as well be dead! We’re the metal inquisition… We sentence you to death… by guillotine!”—are absurd, threatening, and wildly entertaining. The riffs are rock-solid, the tempo is relentless, and the flow is smooth and deadly. There’s a clear influence from fellow Canadian legends Exciter as well.
The absurd theme of “Sex With Satan” is laid bare in all its filthy glory. With lyrics full of dark, violent, hellish imagery, this song may be simple, but it’s full of raw power. It opens with grinding riffs that evoke the sound of early Slayer. The speed and aggression kick in fast, and the thick production enhances the sense of heaviness. The only weak point might be the underwhelming chorus vocals. But overall, the momentum is intense.
“Sodomize The Dead” is ridiculously short at 2 minutes and 13 seconds, but it hits hard. It’s filled with shrieking screams, disturbing howls, and guttural madness—Kirchin sounds completely possessed. His cries of “Sodomize the dead!” push the limits of vocal ferocity. The blistering solo in the middle injects a dose of chaotic aggression that amplifies the madness.
Things slow down with “Witch Hunt,” one of the album’s standout tracks. Built around a massive, slow rhythm section, it’s carried by sharp riffs and deep, snarling vocals that verge on brutality. It embodies the essence of 80s Heavy Metal with a strong Hard Rock undertone. “Piledriver” is raw and powerful, its energetic riffs and aggressive vocal performance making it a fist-swinging anthem. The tempo is slightly more controlled here, but the lyrics remain threatening and gloriously over-the-top.
The album remains strong throughout, though the final two tracks don’t quite match the earlier brilliance. Still, “Human Sacrifice” is driven by wild solos and steady pacing, a solid and bloodthirsty entry. “Alien Rape” is the longest track at nearly 8 and a half minutes. It opens with a minute of deep, spoken dialogue before unleashing high-speed drums, gritty guitars, and echoing vocals. Strange screams and noises appear in the middle, adding a strange theatrical element.
With its depraved themes, unwavering savagery, hypnotic riffing, and pounding drums, Metal Inquisition delivers pure Speed Metal in all its raw, unfiltered glory. A venomous cocktail of Motörhead, Venom, and Mötley Crüe energy, this album is a relic of the 80s metal underground and one of the most criminally underrated gems of the era. Piledriver absolutely deserves their place among the most respected names of that wild time—and by the time you’re done listening, you’ll know exactly why.