March 2023 Feature Release - The Pit Edition

Another month flies by, which means it's time to select a new feature release for The Pit. As it is my turn to choose this month I have selected Canadian thrashers Razor's 1988 album Violent Restitution. It is my favourite Razor album and so it would be great to read what you all think of it either below or in review format.

Canadians Razor are one of those second-tier thrash metal bands who don't get a huge amount of credit due to the fact that their version of thrash metal is seen as derivative and unevolving. But, despite this, there are plenty of real thrash fans who can hear their quality and who can see their lack of evolution as a mark of consistency. How many boss-level thrash acts failed miserably when trying to evolve their sound and consequently became followers instead of leaders anyway? 

Well, I digress. Razor played a particularly fast and aggressive version of speed-infused thrash metal and produced some of the best purely visceral albums of the eighties, their output being heaven for the headbanging hordes and a boon for 21st century chiropractors! From the very beginning they went on the offensive, releasing two albums in '85, Executioner's Song and Evil Invaders, both of which were terrific and then went on to release an album each year until reaching their peak in '88 with Violent Restitution, the subject of this here review and, spoiler alert, my favourite of theirs.

The cover of Violent Restitution shows a bloodied, turbo-charged chainsaw and is as good a metaphor for the album's contents as any amount of words could convey. The album kicks off with a breakneck instrumental, The Marshall Plan, that itself opens up with a lung-busting, sustained scream from singer Stace "Sheepdog" McLaren (for whom this was the last outing with the band who would be much reduced by his departure) that could rival Tom Araya's intro to Angel of Death. Following that are thirteen tracks of thrash metal blitzkrieg with all but three of the songs weighing in at under three minutes. Razor aren't aiming for subtlety or much variety here, this is just fast and furious Fuck You thrash metal that makes no excuses and no apologies with riffs that are more infectious than covid and a relentless battery of thrashbeats. When he's not emitting marrow-freezing screams, "Sheepdog"'s vocals sound like he gargles rusty nails each morning and all that is topped off with some brilliant shredding solos. 

Occasionally the band slip down a gear with a more groove-laden riff, even slipping into Venom-like speed riffs a couple of times, but in the main this is all hi-octane stuff. Yes, it is absolutely true that there is nothing new or original here, but this is just so vicious, infectious and fucking METAL, how could any true, red-blooded thrasher not love it? I never saw Razor live, but I can imagine the pit at their shows being fucking brutal. Balls-out and uncompromising - vital ingredients for great thrash metal.

4.5/5

I've always loved "Violent Restitution" so there's not much point in me returning to it at this stage as we're already well acquainted. I quite like all of Razor's earlier full-lengths (I found the speed/heavy metal of their 1984 "Armed and Dangerous" E.P. to be a bit flat) but this was the album that continually drew me back for more. It may well have benefited from being my entry point to the band back in my late teenage years but I tend to think it's the impressive consistency & gnarly energy that really connects with me at a primal level. I'd suggest that this is still Razor's best work.

4/5