Evil Invaders

There's something very gratifying about such simplistic, bashing music. Razor are a Canadian thrashing machine from waaaay back in the '80s, and this was their sophomore effort, and it fucking rules. There's nothing modernistic or trendy about Evil Invaders, as it is more or less the antithesis of what is widely considered "good music" - it's raw, dirty, grimy stuff with a razor-sharp, crunchy guitar tone and a yammering, punk-ish style of vocals that fit the music like a glove. The solos are fast, sloppy, and shredding and the song structures are basic and bare-boned, but the clincher here is...it all works! This is one of the most completely and utterly METAL albums I've heard in a long time! It's music that the average Joe would be completely repulsed by, yet I fucking love it.

Why, you ask?

It's simple - Razor just know how to thrash and they get right to the point. No bullshit interludes, no ballads, no intros or outros, no flirting with other genres, nothing. They simply went into the studio and punched out a short, sweet, and to the point album of ballsy, gritty, thrashing insanity without even looking back to make sure they were doing everything perfectly. If you're a fan of metal as I am, then you should be able to easily understand this sort of concept. It's all so concise and straightforward that it's really hard to criticize it, and if you try you'd likely only be criticizing it for the things that are GOOD about it - it's simplicity and it's vicious, throat-ripping mentality.

Standout tracks? The whole album is great as it more or less all sounds the same, being thoroughly consistent all the way through. The title track is probably the best, followed by the longest song here in the pulverizing "Tortured Skull" and the instrumental opener is a fantastic way to start off the album - it will get you headbanging straight away, exactly like any opener for this sort of music should do.

Razor's music will never be well-liked by the non-metal community, but that just makes it all the better; a treasure that is all ours and one that we'll never have to give up to the mainstream masses. This is the essence of metal, and I can't see why someone who likes thrash metal or heavy metal in general in the slightest would object to Razor or Evil Invaders. Essential.

Originally written for http://www.metalcrypt.com