Razormaze - Annihilatia

There are two camps when it comes to modern day thrash metal. On the one hand there are those who hate it and on the other there are those who enjoy it, even it sometimes it isn't up to the same level as the big four. I personally don't mind it at all, in fact I remember being excited to see bands like Evile and Municipal Waste live in small venues before they became more popular.

Recently, I've been checking out more thrash and heavy metal that I've missed. It's the bedrock of heavy music for me and was a sub-genre that helped me to appreciate loads of bands. This is the first thrash record I've featured for a while, so what better way to address that than with Boston, MA thrashers Razormaze and their 2013 full-length Annihilatia. They began in 2008 and released two demos before their debut full-length followed in 2009. After a four year gap that was partially plugged by an EP in 2010, Annihilatia was released in 2013 via Slaney Records.

Tracklisting:-

1. Something Like A War
2. The Slowest Death
3. Worshipping The Void
4. Sink Below
5. Demagogue
6. Electric Deception
7. Terminal Escape
8. Without Words

The first thing that hit as I pressed play on Annihilatia was the strength of the musicianship that Razormaze possess. The long intro of Something Like A War coupled with the impressive solo, sealed the deal for me early doors. This is fast and melodic thrash with semi-screamed vocals and it sounds extremely focused. The Slowest Death contains more urgency and carries Razormaze’s momentum forward. It’s impossible not to headband to this! It’s got quite an understated quality about it and it’s not too over the top or brash, which is a good thing. That solo’s a bit good too.

Worshipping The Void features some great lead-work and dual-guitar interplay, that lean towards speed-metal (I know some would say that thrash and speed metal are the same, but what the heck!). Razormaze are extremely powerful in their musical delivery and really benefit from the strong production on Annihilatia. Sink Below is a prime example of this, with the vocals sounding more imposing and the overall rhythm section sounding really tight. 

Demagogue starts the second half of Annihilatia in a slightly different direction. With different time-signatures and clever musical structures used, they sound as though they have really settled into the album at this point and this song, while not being all-out in the tempo department, is probably my standout track. They explore their more progressive side again with Electric Deception, which nearly reaches seven-minutes and encompasses all of the band’s elements and ideas to produce a really well-rounded thrash attack. This song really does take things to another level, especially thanks to the soaring melody in it’s solo.

I’m not the most musically gifted writer, so sorry for the lack of “terms”. What I can say though (and no apologies for repeating myself), is that Razormaze are immense and I’m annoyed that it’s taken me so long to realise this. Terminal Escape is an absolute beast of a song and I’ve been headbanging throughout the whole thing. I don’t want this album to end, but alas it has to. Still, Without Words ain’t a bad ending I suppose. If you’re up for something fun and musically spellbinding, then I implore you to check out Razormaze. Annihilatia demands many repeated listens and I’d easily sit these guys next to Noisem as my favourite thrash bands.

You can stream and download Annihilatia here:-

You can buy physical CD copies directly from Razormaze here - http://razormaze.bigcartel.com or from Slaney Records here - http://www.slaneyrecords.com/webstore/

Razormaze Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/razormaze
Slaney Records Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Slaney-Records