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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Canadian thrash...., April 19, 1999
By A Customer
Part of the early Canadian thrash movement (that included Exciter, Raven, Sacrifice and Voivod), Razor defiantly stick to there guns and release another brutal thrash disc at a time when the thrash movement was starting to loose its steam. Lyrically based upon revenge and getting even, vocalist Stace "Sheepdog" Mclauren rages with one of the great thrash voices ever and a tribute to that is the opening track. He holds the opening scream for about a good minute and leaves the listener slack jawed. Another Razor trademark is the riptide, wall of noise riffing by guitarist Dave Carlo. ALL of Razor's discs (which are 10 if you count their 1st ep and their compilation double cd) are chock full of intense prototypical thrash riffing. The main songwriter and the heart of the band, Dave Carlo continues to amaze with his dedication to his music and his fans. A great thrash metal disc, with brutal Slayer-like intensity and raw anger, as all of their releases are, the underground and thrash in general are better off with these purveyors of metal plying their trade. As it is, it's amazing that a record company hasn't picked up the rights to their (extremely hard to find)older discs. "Executioner's Songs", "Evil Invaders", "Malicious Intent" and "Custom Killing" are all worthy thrash metal classics and if you're looking for their later releases, they are available on Fringe Records under the band's own Fistfight Record label. Stay true to the underground and support the unacknowledged forefathers of the movement!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
IT'S CALLED THRASH (NOT TRASH) METAL, July 7, 2006
This is only like the fourth review I have written here on Amazon, and I feel as though I am doing myself a personal injustice as I enjoy getting long in the tooth with my reviews. Simply put, this (as well as the other Razor albums) RULES!!! I know people will knock this as a Slayer rip off or whatever, and they were definitely "inspired" to understate it. However, they are cool in that they don't have the whole occult thing going on. I mean they resemble Slayer, but they do have their own thing going on as well. This band just conveys a message of attitude. The riffing, drumming, and Sheepdog's vocals (along with punctual grunts and screams) rule. The volume level on this does not allow one to play it at a forcefully offensive volume and that is the sole gripe about this plasticized pleasure. I would give this a 5, but only in the realm of thrash. I admit it is not the most mature of music, but I am not the most mature of people. And to hell with pretentious b.s. anyhow. Opeth are criminally overrated, and conceited, as well as snobby "art-musicians" who pass judgement on their percieved lack of talent in music. That, my friends, I don't need. I can spot suck from a mile away, trust me. So we go with the 4 (because Amazon does nothing halfway).
THRASH OR BE THRASHED!!!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An overlooked gem in the eighties Thrash catalogue, June 19, 2007
Most thrash enthusiaists who weren't around for the original scene in the mid-80s to early 90s would say if you told them this was a great album, "Who is Razor?" Typically non-U.S. Thrash bands had a difficult time getting noticed in the U.S. market. Voivod broke the barrier, and Exciter was hot for a minute, but few others were noticed.
While Razor albums were (and apparently still are) tough to find, they are definitely worth the effort. Here on this 1988 effort, the band develops their sound even further (which is a lot like Slayer, a touch of Sodom or Kreator, with a little dash of Hardcore flare -almost like how Vio-lence did it at times.)
It's hard to pick up this album with out chuckling because it is loosely a concept album about revenge. Also proudly stated on the inside of the front insert and on the back covers is, "This album is dedicated to Charles Bronson." Ha, must have seen "Death Wish 4: The Crackdown" the year before one too many times. But from the first song you know it is going to be awesome because the opening track "The Marshall Arts", yields a 27 second long scream from the frontman! Nothing short of impressive. The vocals are good mid range mostly with the occasional well placed scream here and there. The guitar riffs are the highlight of the album coming up with catchy verses at every turn and some impressive solos that scream and whale yet are also precisely executed. The drumming pounds on and on and is mostly competent. The only thing that is annoyning about it is that the crash cymbals seem to have been poorly recorded and they kinda have a ring to 'em. This album should have been the break out album for this band because it has all the good elements to it (brutal, competent playing, decent overall production), but why this band was not on everyone's map at the time will remain a mystery.
If you like 80s Thrash metal, especially bands that are on the more brutal side, and are tired of playing the same records over and over again, pick this one up. You're sure to love it.
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