Razor

Excuse – Prophets from the Occultic Cosmos Review

By Mark Z. on August 7, 2019 in 2019, Finnish Metal, Reviews, Shadow Kingdom Records, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 32 comments

“You’re here for a reason. You’re on a quest. A quest for music to bang your fukkin head to. Sometimes you find the music, sometimes the music finds you. There, buried in a particularly large online order a couple years ago, was a free copy of Excuse’s 2016 EP Goddess Injustice. I slid the vinyl from its sleeve and a spectral form descended from the heavens. “YOU!” It boomed. “Me?” I said. “YOU. You are the chosen one. Drop the needle. Turn up the stereo. And BANG. YOUR. FUKKIN. HEAD.”” Always obey the disembodied voice!

Metalian – Vortex Review

By Steel Druhm on July 9, 2019 in 2019, Canadian Metal, Heavy Metal, High Roller Records, NWOBHM, Reviews, Speed Metal, Heavy Metal, NWOBHM, Speed Metal, 26 comments

“Canada is in the midst of a speed metal renaissance at the moment, with bands like Skull Fist and Riot City blazing burning pathways back to the 80s. Now you can add Metalian to the backward focused mob rush. Their third opus Vortex is a shameless throwback dose of speed mixed with traditional and NWoBHM ideas, designed and executed to sound totally natural in 1984. That means tossing Agent Steel, Razor and Judas Priest in a burlap sack and shaking furiously to see what happens.” Dad metal happens.

Armory – The Search Review

By Steel Druhm on July 9, 2018 in 2018, High Roller Records, Reviews, Speed Metal, Swedish Metal, Speed Metal, 26 comments

“Before the thrash explosion of the 80s truly took off under the guidance of rising stars like Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax, there was its ugly predecessor, speed metal. Basically, traditional metal played faster, speed metal often approximated the sound of a record spinning at the wrong speed. It was a loose, unrefined and fun style often lacking the hard-edge of thrash. I was sad to see it all but die out by 1987, and Sweden’s Armory apparently feel the same way, so they painstakingly recreated the speed metal sound on their sophomore outing, The Search.” Speed still kills.

Infernäl Mäjesty – No God Review

By Dr. Wvrm on April 12, 2017 in 2017, Black Metal, Canadian Metal, High Roller Records, Reviews, Thrash Metal, 28 comments

“From Kreator to Sepultura and every re-thrash act in between, this year intends to chase 2016 down and crush its skull, Whiplash-style. Now the thawing Canadian tundra has spit out Infernäl Mäjesty to bloody this party up. Exiting hibernation after over a decade, the old farts celebrate the big 3-0 with the fiery malice of No God.” Thrash as olde as the Canadian permafrost.

Ranger – Speed and Violence Review

By Steel Druhm on November 28, 2016 in 2016, Finnish Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Spinefarm, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, 12 comments

“From the brutally vintage cover, you’d be entirely justified expecting Speed and Violence to be a homage to the glory days of Exciter, being as they shamelessly appropriated the cover dynamic of their first album and riffed on the title of their second and best known platter (Violence and Force). While you’d be 110% right about the 80s throwback style Ranger wallows in, you’d be wrong about the chief influence.” It ain’t easy, being speedy.

Witchtrap – Trap the Witch Review

By Dr. Wvrm on November 10, 2016 in 2016, Colombian Metal, Hells Headbangers Records, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 27 comments

“Look at that album title. Look at that art. Now that is a gimmick! Forgive my exuberance, but after only just overcoming the trauma-induced tinnitus from my previous attempts at thrash, Witchtrap prove that good things come to those who scour the promo sheet with a fine-toothed comb.” Nasty things come to those who dumpster dive.

Anvil – Anvil is Anvil Review

By Al Kikuras on March 14, 2016 in 2.5, 2016, Canadian Metal, Heavy Metal, Releases, SPV, SPV Records, Heavy Metal, 44 comments

“My introduction proper to Anvil came at the pubescent age of 14 when I chose Pound for Pound as one of my 12 introductory cassettes from the Columbia House Record Club. I’d heard a song here, a song there, but Pound for Pound was the first platter I heard from nuts to noggin. My initial feeling? Underwhelmed.” Will the new platter whelm Mr. Kikuras?

Shotgun Justice – State Of Desolation Review

By Al Kikuras on January 25, 2016 in 2016, German Metal, Heavy Metal, Kernkraftritter Records, Reviews, Heavy Metal, 55 comments

“I chose Shotgun Justice randomly without knowing anything about them or their sound, the only connection being they shared their moniker with one of my favorite thrash metal albums (see the Razor retrospective Druhm and I shat out in 2014). Do these Krauts live up to that thrashtastic standard?” Standards are made to be broken.

Enforcer – From Beyond Review

By Steel Druhm on March 1, 2015 in 2015, Heavy Metal, Nuclear Blast, Reviews, Speed Metal, Swedish Metal, Heavy Metal, 19 comments

“The classic 80s metal sound will never go away, because bands like Enforcer still live, breathe and eat that stuff. Their entire career has been spent chasing the closest approximation to early 80s speed metal as humanly possible and when they nail it, it stays pretty damn nailed.” It’s time for your required dose of old school metal, so open up and say…Enforcer!

Career-Retrospective: Razor

By Steel Druhm on November 29, 2014 in Blog Posts, Canadian Metal, Career Retrospective, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 30 comments

“Let’s shake things up a bit, shall we? Since some bands have multiple albums deserving of the Retro-spective treatment, why not give those few, those happy few, a more inclusive career retrospective. First up on the block is criminally underrated, serially overlooked Canadian thrashers, Razor. To handle this piece of historical research, I’ve enlisted the other primary source here at AMG, my fellow geezer, Al Kikuras, who also grew up admiring these speedsters from the Great White North.” Old dudes talking about old music. It’s like NPR with more leather.