Thursday 23 September 2021

Razoreater - Purgatory


Labels: FHED

Formats: Vinyl/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 24 Sep 2021


Tracklist:


1. I Despise Us

2. Cursed Are The Merciful

3. One Last Nail

4. End This Hell

5. Vittu Saatana Perkele

6. Set Fire To The Preacher

7. There Is No More Hope


In an age where countless bands come and go, there will always be a a few that really leave their mark on you. Razoreater is one of those bands and one that I never thought I'd be writing about again. Ever since their Necropolitan tape was released via CoF Records in 2012, they committed their incendiary grind to vinyl/tape every year up until 2016, when they fell silent following the release of Vacuum Of Nihil. That work ethic and their excellent live presence meant that they were highly regarded in the UK and further afield. Now, just over five years on, they're back with new music in the form of Purgatory, which will be available from tomorrow on vinyl, tape and digital formats with the help of FHED. 


Razoreater formed back in 2011, which was shortly after I started this blog. I was so enthused about the UK heavy music community at that time and it was partly due to this band, and their then label mates on CoF Records. To be sitting here ten years on and getting the opportunity to listen to new music from them again is mind-blowing to me. They haven’t lost any of their intensity, in fact the break may have only made their sound even nastier. If the striking artwork of Purgatory isn’t a clue, EP opener ‘I Despise Us’ goes straight for the face with the barrage of riffing that Razoreater have had in their arsenal since day one. The no nonsense percussion and vocals show that nothing is being left out.


They’ve performed alongside some of grind and hardcore’s most well-known bands in years gone by, and when you hear ‘Cursed Are The Merciful’, you’ll know that what’s been recorded here is what you’ll get live. No pretence or trickery is needed. The transition they make between grind and sludgy hardcore on ‘One Last Nail’ is what really sets them apart for me. It was always something that has kept me coming back to their music, in the same way as bands like Knifecrimes, Esoteric Youth and Trudger do, to name a few. 


I’ve spent a lot of this review looking back, but sitting in a present there’s a realisation that this EP is drawing a line under a period of time and the aptness of ‘End This Hell’ is only too real, set to the backdrop of raging grind and punk. Razoreater can groove too though and the opening riffs on ‘Vittu Saatana Perkele’ are amongst the catchiest on the EP. Their use later on only makes the song sound more menacing, when buried within the full soundstage. 


There’s no rest as penultimate song ’Set Fire To The Preacher’ flies by in less than sixty seconds. It’s constant percussive blasts reign supreme, with the guitars and vocals keeping up…just. From the EP’s shortest song to it’s longest; ‘There Is No More Hope’, like those before it is better played at high volume though the extended passage of feedback that makes up it’s second half might damage more than just your hearing.


I’m going to stick my neck out here and say that this is what’s been missing from the UK heavy music scene. Let’s hope it’s the beginning of another productive period for Razoreater, because if Purgatory is anything to go by, it’ll be pretty special. 


You can stream the EP's opening track via Bandcamp below:-



The initial tape run from FHED has sold out, but Razoreater will have copies with them at their shows in Lincoln (Sep 25) and London (Sep 26). More details about the shows can be found on their Facebook page here - https://www.facebook.com/razoreatergrind.


Vinyl/digital copies can be purchased from FHED here - https://fhed.bandcamp.com/merch.


FHED - https://www.facebook.com/FxHxExD/.

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