I’m somewhat of a thrash freak. I consume all things thrash,
and it’s pretty difficult for me to find some thrash I don’t really like. With
that said, when I first discovered Boston’s Razormaze on their “Miseries” EP, I
had a big problem with them. The vocals just didn’t work. It was unfortunate, because the music was great, but I still don't find myself revisiting that EP. One look at the album
artwork for “Annihilatia”, however, meant I had to give the band another shot,
and that turned out to be a great decision.
If you haven’t already guessed it, the vocals on this record
are much improved. Singer Alex Citrone doesn’t do anything fancy, but he
provides a solid thrash bark to accompany the music. A close comparison might
be Matt Drake from Evile. Both singers definitely have the capacity to hold
notes and reach more than a few pitches, but are also at their best when they
keep it simple. Musically, “Annihilatia” follows the cover art in that things
are getting much more complex. The band doesn’t change time signatures or
tempos like some of the more technical thrash bands do, but they use very
intricate riffing, not unlike the riffs on a record like “…And Justice For All”. “Annihilatia”
is going to be an album that will take more than a few listens to get into. The
complexity of the song structures and lack of clear repetition (compared to a
more straightforward thrash band) means that not much will stick in your head
when the album ends. On the production side of things, this is a great sounding
record. The bass might be a bit low, but otherwise, everything sounds very
clear. You can really tell when the guitarists are using a heavy palm mute
(see: “Worshipping the Void”), as there is a great chunky sound, and all other
moments feature an overdriven crunchy tone. The leads are exceptional, both from a
production standpoint and based on the quality of them. It isn’t an all-out
shredfest, but the playing very much matches the style of the riffs. Overall,
everything comes together very nicely on “Annihilatia” to create a solid thrash
record.
With this new album, Razormaze has taken a huge step up for
me. It’s a record that will be revisited by many people for a long time, especially
as getting a feel for the songwriting becomes clearer. Even if you aren’t a fan
of more technical thrash (Coroner, Voivod, etc.), you will still like “Annihilatia”
as the band doesn’t do anything weird at all, they just play more complicated
riffs.
Highlights
"Something Like A War"
"Worshipping The Void"
"Terminal Escape"
Final Rating
4.2/5 or 84%.