Every now and then a band makes a
comeback after many years and sometimes even decades of being gone. Razor is a Canadian
thrash metal band from Ontario that put out a bunch of great albums in the ‘80s
and ‘90s. Their last record, Decibels,
came out in 1997. Twenty-five years later, they returned this past Friday with Cycle of Contempt via genre label
Relapse Records. Founding members Dave Carlo (guitars) and Mike Campagnolo (bass)
are part of the lineup along with long-time singer Bob Reid, and Rider Johnson
on Drums. This is a band whose name fits them to a T, ferocious and relentless.
I’ve seen a lot of negative comments
from the online metal community regarding Cycle
of Contempt over the weekend. I’ve only had time to listen to the album
twice, but I liked it even more on the second spin. While it’s not a
masterpiece, I think it’s a terrific album with the better part of the 12 songs
ranging from good to great. That’s a damn good average if I do say so myself!
What were fans expecting? I mean it rarely happens that a band can conjure up
the magic and vitality they had in their heyday. Just look at Megadeth’s latest,
The Sick, The Dying…; it’s a great
album but it’s not on the same level as, say, Rust in Peace or Countdown to
Extinction. The same can be said of Iron Maiden, Helloween, and Scorpions’
latest records from the last couple of years. Cycle of Contempt falls into the category of modern era albums.
There are some real gems on this record, the title cut being my favorite of the
lot. Some of the highlights for me include “Flames of Hatred”, “Off My Meds”, “Crossed”,
and “King Shit”.
If you’ve never heard of Razor,
then I’d recommend sampling some of their ‘80s albums as there’re some absolute
killers from their glory days! Formed in 1983 in Guelph, Ontario, they are one
of the first Canadian thrash bands alongside Voivod and Annihilator. Guitarist Dave
Carlo founded the band and was later joined by frontman Stace
"Sheepdog" McLaren. Sheepdog would go on to become a fan-favourite
until his departure in 1989. It just takes a spin of the band’s Armed & Dangerous EP from 1984 and
their classic album Evil Invaders
from 1985 (be prepared to have the awesome title track stuck in your head all
day) or 1988’s Violent Restitution to
see that these guys are the real deal. They performed on tour with heavyweights
Slayer and Motorhead in the US, but eventually, Sheepdog would lose interest
and quit the band to be replaced by current lead vocalist Bob Reid. Razor
released some good albums with Reid at the helm, but the majority of fans
(myself included) were more partial to Stace "Sheepdog" McLaren’s
vocal style and delivery.
Nevertheless, Razor is a solid
band and it’s a pleasure to have them back making new music for us again. And
on the last song of Cycle of Contempt,
they make it clear that they’ll be back for more. If you’ve never experienced
this classic Canadian thrash metal band, then I urge you to give them a spin
and peruse their discography. You’ll find a couple of their vintage albums on
Bandcamp and you can still find Evil
Invaders (my personal favourite of theirs) on CD on Amazon. Keep it loud
and fast, and enjoy their Razor-sharp tunes!
Razor on Bandcamp: https://razorband.bandcamp.com/music
Official Website: https://www.razorband.com/
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