Killer |The Grand Finale |High Roller Records

Release Date September 11^th, 2026
Format CD/LP
Genre Heavy Metal
Origin Belgium

Killer started in 1980 when guitarist and singer Paul "Shorty" Van Camp and drummer "Fat" Leo, who died in February 2026, left the rock and blues outfit Mothers Of Track, with guitarist Ivo "Spooky" Van Doren completing the first line-up. Raised on the NWOBHM and Motörhead, they became one of Belgium's biggest metal names alongside Acid and Crossfire, and signed to Mausoleum for "Ready For Hell" in 1980, "Wall Of Sound" in 1982 and "Shock Waves" in 1984 before the first split in 1987. Reunions brought five more albums, the most recent being "Hellfire" in 2023. The band now stands as Van Camp on guitars and vocals, Jan Anthonis on bass and Vanne Opdebeeck on drums.

"The Grand Finale" is the last Killer studio album, ten tracks running just under forty minutes, with all music and lyrics written by Van Camp alone. Ivan Opdebeeck and Van Camp mixed and co-produced it at Secret Boulevard Studios, Patrick Engel mastered at Temple Of Disharmony, and Mario Lopez painted the cover. Lloyd "Lemmy" of the tribute act Motorheadz sings a duet with Van Camp on "Roll The Dice" and takes the lead alone on "What You See Is What You Get".

The mix pushes the guitars to the front and keeps the snare dry, an eighties setup with modern headroom, though Van Camp's voice sits a shade too high on "Gone Too Soon" and buries the rhythm guitar under it. The writing is single-minded. "Loaded Gun" and "Welcome In The Real World" run on three chords and a chorus you can shout by the second pass, and the solos arrive on cue. The duet on "Roll The Dice" works because the two voices grind against each other, while "What You See Is What You Get" hands the microphone over completely, which is fun and also the point where the album stops sounding like Killer.

The Motörhead worship is so literal that "Hard Day Coming" and "In The Eye Of The Storm" bleed into one shape. The title track and "The Fire Still Burns" drop the tempo and let Van Camp actually sing, which is where the farewell registers as something more than homage. Sequencing stacks the quick ones early, then the second half settles into one mid-pace gear and stays there. Forty-six years in, this is honest work, played hot, short on surprise.

|7.8