Razor - Escape the Fire Review

Here comes High Roller Records again to remind us that it’s always time for classics. The reissue of Razor’s “Escape the Fire” is one more of the great list of classic albums that the label company is delivering.

Razor’s “Escape the Fire” belongs to the same lineage of Angel Dust’s “Into the Dark Past” reviewed here a few weeks ago. The angry and fast as hell Speed Metal that the 1980s gave us. Unlike the later band, this “Escape the Fire” has a strong taste of Motörhead. A pretty normal thing when we talk about the time we’re talking about. Many bands had this kind of influence in the early 1980s. However, though the bass is very prominent here the vibe is pretty different from Lemmy’s. It’s clean and metallic. But Razor are much more. The echoes of their Thrash Metal pioneer vibe can be felt here and there.

“Escape the Fire” was made of acid and angry vocals with sharp and corrosive guitar riffs. Pay attention that though fast the drumming follows a different technique it’s used today for extreme Metal bands. There is no double bass pedal or something of the likes. Lots of cymbals and crashes hits and fast fillings. I particularly liked very much the metallic tone of the bass. It’s pretty hard not to mention that the album is a pure essence of the Metal Music done in the 1980s for the best or for the worst. Also notice some influences that aren’t commom nowadays as the use of some Blues scales and other features in the songs as in “Metal Avenger.” For the record, Metal Music originally comes from the Blues as a kind of Heavy Blues perfomed in the 1960s by some bands. In a weird way Razor show these influences. However it’s also noticiable that Metal Music is slowly taking a different direction.

The fast guitar riffing performed in “Ready for Action” still amazes me. The kind of thing that makes me remind all the time the good old Speed Metal Hell that was the first form of Extreme Metal ever – hum, somebody has to write about this. It’s the first step out of Old School Heavy Metal ind into the making of a brand new sonic experience without a doubt.

Unfortunately it’s the first time I’m enjoying Razor as they were a band that I used to see all the time in the magazines. However, never had the chance to listen to any of their albums. Good albums always comeback and give us a chance to know them, isn’t it?

Razor “Escape the Fire” will be rereleased on July 16th via High Roller Records.

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