Razor is a thrash metal band from Canada formed in 1983 right at the start of the eighties thrash explosion. The band were around and releasing albums when the (yet to be called) “Big 4” were dominating the world with the release of landmark albums such as ‘Master Of Puppets’ (Metallica), ‘Reign In Blood’ (Slayer), ‘Among The Living’ (Anthrax), and ‘Rust In Peace’ (Megadeth). Razor released seven albums between 1985 and 1991, establishing themselves as one of Canada’s premier thrash metal exports along with Annihilator, Sacrifice, and Voivod. The band’s eighth studio album was released in 1997, with the ensuing years spent battling line-up changes. The band have performed at some of the worlds biggest festivals – The Gates Of Hell (2005), Headbangers Open Air (2009), True Thrash (2011), and the Maryland, and California Deathfests in 2015 and 2016 respectively. And in 2022, Razor will present its first new music in twenty-five years, with the release of its ninth album ‘Cycle Of Contempt’…
…a fierce and ferocious twelve-song tsunami of thrash! Featuring the band’s trademark thunder, fire and brimstone approach, ‘Cycle Of Contempt’ (the album) is an amalgamation of speed, and the band’s root thrash metal leanings. Hurtling out the blocks, Razor roared into life with the electrifying pace of ‘Flames Of Hatred’ – aggression and menace rising high in the air! And the snarling vocals are perfectly suited to this type of brutish thrash…what a way to announce your “comeback” after a quarter of a century! Simply stunning! Without pausing for breath, Razor stormed on with the faster-paced ‘Jabroni’, replete with the opening salvo’s aggression and menace. If you’re looking for a thrash metal album to head bang furiously to – you need look no further than ‘Cycle Of Contempt’, ‘Off My Meds’ picking up the baton and racing off at high velocity. The fastest of the opening three songs ‘Off My Meds’ is frantic, ferocious, and fiery.
I tell ya – there’s just no escaping the savage speed of the album, ‘Bitter Pill’ keeping the thunderous momentum moving at high speed. The band are a brutal force of nature, destroying everything and everyone standing in their way.
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So you better look out – or you may just get knocked into next week! And ‘Crossed’ may be the song to do it – faster than anything heard so far. Razor is rampaging forth with devastating pace and power – more destructive even than a hundred wrecking balls! And when they’re done, along come a thousand bulldozers razing everything to the ground, with ‘First Rate Hate’ blasting outta their onboard stereo! Slower than everything that has gone by so far, ‘First Rate Hate’ is a mighty foot stomp that stamps very hard. Harder even than a jackhammer smashing concrete – crikey this album is brutal!
The title song ‘Cycle Of Contempt’, is the only song out of the twelve on offer to exceed the five-minute mark! And marks the appearance of an NWOBHM-sounding guitar riff – buzzing like it’s the mid-eighties all over again. More heavy metal than thrash, the band build anticipation fuelled aura for two minutes, and then let all hell break loose…the bands thrash metal roots making an emphatic return, as ‘Cycle Of Contempt’ (the song) relentlessly bulldozes its way forward. ‘Setup’ returns the electrifying pace of earlier, moving forth with menace and savage intent. Razor are really letting rip with their latest album, ignoring speed limits and threatening to break down the border between thrash and speed metal. Hell, maybe they have already! Brutality levels rise through the fucking roof with ‘Punch Your Face In’ – a savage attack that’ll leave cuts and bruises on the bodies of listeners. Best have the number for the local emergency services to hand just in case!
With ABH ferocity, ‘All Fist Fighting’ launches a vicious aural attack on the senses, ears in danger of bleeding as the band roar louder than ever – the unrelenting barrage of savagery full of bitter menace. Razor came out with all guns blazing and appear to have an unlimited supply of ammo, constantly setting off incendiary devices and wreaking havoc with every song that rattles on by. Reintroducing the mighty foot stomp of earlier, ‘Darkness Falls’ slow burns into life and then dramatically explodes, sending shrapnel in every direction! The fierceness of ‘Darkness Falls’ is incredible, the band unrelenting in their savage approach. Bringing a great album to a close is the attitude-laden fury of ‘King Shit’ – a fast-paced and fiery rampage of all-out brutality. And if you haven’t already been knocked into next week, you will be by the album’s final hurrah.
Overall, a fierce storm of savage thrash metal, ‘Cycle Of Contempt’ is an unstoppable cacophony of rage and aggression.
TRACKLIST
Flames Of Hatred
Jabroni
Off My Meds
A Bitter Pill
Crossed
First Rate Hate
Cycle Of Contempt
Setup
Punch Your Face In
All Fist Fighting
Darkness Falls
King Shit
Razor: Facebook
Release Year: 2022
Label: Relapse Records
Category: Album
Country: Canada
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire, and Metal-Roos.
