Razor: Open Hostility (Reissue)

This is one of three reissues from cult Canadian thrashers, Razor. I'll review each album individually, but I think it's safe to say that these albums should all find a home in any collection that loves old-school thrash metal played as angrily and aggressively as it comes. I've always been a fan of thrash and these albums are deservedly legendary. They also sound great and show no obvious signs of wear. If you like thrash, these are definitely for you.

Open Hostility has several good songs, including "Psychopath," "End of the War," "Iron Legions," and "Bad Vibrations." Fans of Razor already know all these songs (and more) but they sound great on this reissue. I also recommend digging into the unreleased tracks. I'm not sure whether these tracks have made their way through the underground scene or not, but this was my first time hearing all of them. I recommend all of them, but I especially liked "Taking the Strain," "Violent Propensity," and the instrumental version of "Taking the Strain." Razor never lacked for energy and these tracks show more evidence of the band's remarkable ability to thrash in just the right ways.

It's hard to say which of the three reissues I like best; Open Hostility is a good contender because it shows the band at the peak of its powers. The earlier releases, though, are such fun.

Track Listing:
1. In Protest
2. Sucker for Punishment
3. Bad Vibrations
4. Road Gunner
5. Cheers
6. Red Money
7. Free Lunch
8. Iron Legions
9. Mental Torture
10. Psychopath
11. I Disagree
12. End of the War
13. Tow the Line (Unreleased, Late 1990)
14. Taking the Strain (Unreleased, Late 1990)
15. Violent Propensity (Unreleased, Late 1990)
16. Taking the Strain (Unreleased Instrumental Version)
17. End of the War (Rehearsal with Rob Mills)
18. Tow the Line (Instrumental Demo)
19. Red Money (Instrumental Demo)
20. Iron Legions (Instrumental Demo)

Added: September 10th 2015
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Web Page
Hits: 1901
Language: english

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