Razor DECIBELS sacrifice slayer death metal thrash sodom DRI celtic frost LP

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Brand new, sealed.
RAZOR - DECIBELS - SILVER VINYL
RAZOR Decibels LP SILVER
High Roller Records, reissue 2022, silver vinyl, ltd 250, insert

Bob Reid - vocals Dave Carlo - guitars Jon Armstrong - bass Rich Oosterbosch - drums
- Decibels - Life Sentence - Great White Lie - Open Hostility - Jimi The Fly - Rebel Onslaught '97 - Liar - Goof Soup - Nine Dead - The Game - Violence...Gun Control - Instant Death '97

With this being possibly the last Razor album that the fans may ever get to acquire, it's time someone paid homage to this album for what it is...a near perfect release. Dave Carlo is kinda like Canada's answer to Vicious Rumors' Geoff Thorpe, but not in terms of image or controversy. Let me explain my analogy. Simply put, neither Thorpe nor Carlo have ever written a bad album. Maybe a few tracks were weaker than others, but for the most part I'd say that 99% of either songwriters' material is worthy to be heard.
As for Decibels, this album is no different that any other Razor album. It's just full fucking speed ahead. Razor are one of the only bands that are capable of being melodic while still maintaining breakneck speeds and riffs that sound like claymore showers.
The album opens with the title track, which is a definite ass-kicker and is a very good representation of what one can expect to hear on the rest of the album. Dave's riffs on this album are without doubt the most complex riffs he's ever created (check out the bridge part on Great White Lie or the pre-verse stuff on Jimmy The Fly). The sonic crunch of the guitars is an absolute godsend to all thrash metal enthusiasts alike. The only slight downfall on the album is the fact that Dave doesn't really do any outstanding lead work, but for once the album riffs surely make up for the lack of solos.
Bob Reid's vocals are much like Dave's riffs in the sense that he sounds as heavy and menacing as fuck, yet at the same time he manages to create atmospheric melody that is rather interesting and has the listener hooked on many of the vocal lines. Jon and Rich were both recruited into the ranks from Bob's previous side project, SFH, and although they manage to add a solid backbone in the rhythm department, Rob Mills and Adam Carlo were a little better of a match for the aggression of this bands sonic assault. The drum patterns become a little bit repetitive after awhile as well and other than in Violence...Gun Control, the bass sometimes gets lost in the mix.
Still, this album manages to maintain a rather consistent flow of greatness and once again Dave Carlo manages to create an album worthy of thrash metal brilliance. Anyone who is intrigued by intelligent lyrics should also seek out not only this album, but all of Razor's back catalog.


Decibels is the eighth studio album by Canadian speed/thrash metal band Razor. This was the band's first album since 1991's Open Hostility and since their split in 1992, as well as the only album to feature drummer Rich Oosterbosch and the last with bassist Jon Armstrong.
Track listing No. Title Length 1. "Decibels" 4:24 2. "Jimi the Fly" 3:43 3. "Life Sentence" 3:28 4. "Liar" 4:05 5. "The Game" 3:41 6. "Great White Lie" 5:10 7. "Open Hostility" 3:02 8. "Nine Dead" 3:34 9. "Goof Soup" 4:16 10. "Violence...Gun Control" 7:04 Total length: 42:27 Bonus track No. Title Length 1. "Instant Death" (Re-recorded Version) 3:24 Total length: 45:51 2011 vinyl bonus tracks No. Title Length 1. "Instant Death" (Re-recorded Version) 3:24 2. "Rebel Onslaught" (Re-recorded Version) 3:56 Total length: 49:47 Notes Despite the additional bonus track on the original CD release, it is not listed on the track list. The 2004 CD re-issue by Blackend Records omits it Pressings of the 12" limited edition vinyl re-issue by High Roller Records features an alternate track list and cover art and two bonus tracks Personnel Bob Reid - Lead Vocals Dave Carlo - Lead Guitars Jon Armstrong - Bass Rich Oosterbosch - Drums Production Dave Carlo - Producer Bob Reid - Producer Tom Treumuth - Executive producer Daryn Barry - Engineering Alfio Annibalini - Engineering Darko - Photography Roland - Cover model
The title of the review should give you an idea about how you're supposed to look at this album. The year was 1997, and you need to remember what kind of state the thrash metal scene was in. For the period, this is probably the greatest thrash metal album there is. But then again, only in the most advanced stages of decomposition is it the greatest thrash album, it is far from even excellent, when you broaden your horizons. In any event, Razor's Decibels was a respectable album to strike back with during the late 90s, and it carried the style we all know and love by the legendary Canadian speed-thrashers.
As aforementioned, this is still the Razor we got to know on Evil Invaders, Shotgun Justice, and Violent Restitution even if the presentation makes it difficult for us to realize that. Almost all of the album is very fast-paced, the songs follow the same structures as on the band's earlier albums, with a few new implementations, one of those being the effects on Bob's vocals. That's not a positive addition, they faintly resemble Pantera's Phil Anselmo on the ending couple of seconds of "Fucking Hostile", which isn't something any band should be aiming to do. Other than that, besides the song called Violence...Gun Control, which sounds like one of those dumbass experimental songs off of Vio-Lence's Nothing to Gain, all of the material is true to Razor's name.
So the issue is not the style... It is mainly the songwriting and the overall presentation of these pieces. Ironically enough, this album was released under a label called "Hypnotic Records", and nothing could be more matching. This album is the single most monotonous album that I've ever encountered. The first 5 songs in a row are all traveling on the EXACT SAME tempo. The sixth one takes a break for roughly 2 minutes, then we're back at this relatively fast yet comfy, rote tempo that we've been at for the past 5 songs. Even the riffs are only extremely slightly different, so they do no good job of covering this up. This is what's killing this album. Razor was one of the most exceptional bands at demonstrating the power of dynamics and large, bursting tempo changes, from slow tempos to blisteringly fast ones, like in the songs Brass Knuckles, or Bad Vibrations. Not here though. These songs are unbelievably formulaic, they are strictly generic, sticking to the same arrangements as all the others, and they show very little effort to try to present something that would break out of this annoyingly rote and mechanical pace that the entire album is running on.
Moreover, the percussion is probably the element here that throttles the album most viciously. Not sure how this is possible, but the record Open Hostility that featured a drum machine shows a TON more variety and color than this dude on this album. Dave Carlo didn't program those drums on the predecessor to be overly complex and over-the-top technical. But what takes place on here is just deplorable. First of all, most of the time, as aforementioned, the tempo is nearly the same throughout the entire damn release. Worst comes to worst, the drummer uses few fills to break the hypnosis, and when he does, he makes sure he does those small, half-fills yet again, periodically. So even the fills get built in as yet another one of the recurring patterns on the album. A good example of this is the song called Jimi the Fly, which utilizes the same fill periodically, the one you can hear at 0:38. Not one slightly longer, slightly faster, slightly more aggressive fill. No, my friends. The same shit a hundred times.
Decibels is also a little difficult to deal with when it comes to the lyrical content and the entire attitude angle that the band presents here. Goof Soup's spoken-word ending is an eye-roller, while Great White Lie's beginning is very awkward and sweat-odored, most especially with that "feeelss soooo goooooddddd" bit. The album really could have done without these edgy, overly corny moments that weren't part of any Razor album before this one, so technically, this is also a new implementation on this album, even if a negative one. Everything deteriorated. The lyrics, the album cover, the music, the vocals, the whole bit.
But still, this is no typical late-90s thrash album. While we've heard better albums by Razor, this is a perfectly listenable record, because even if Razor's formula is applied in a very unintelligent and unevolved way, it still works. That's how good it is. Even if they applied their blueprint stupidly and in a way less effective manner, it still stands its ground, and this record surpasses any thrash records by major thrash forces around the planet in this period. If not for anything else, you should listen to this to show appreciation for a band that never abolished its original roots. That's about the only reason I can come up with to listen to this, and if anyone, I love this band's catalog.

Razor is a Canadian speed metal band formed in 1983 at Guelph, Ontario. They are also recognized as the pioneers of Canadian thrash metal and have been referred to as one of the country's "Big Four", alongside Sacrifice, Voivod and Annihilator.[1]
History Early years and split (1983–1992) Razor was formed in 1983 by guitarist Dave Carlo. A secondary member named John Scheffel was in the band at the time as the vocalist and guitarist, but left in 1984. After failed efforts with two other vocalists, Carlo would eventually establish a line-up featuring vocalist Stace "Sheepdog" McLaren, bassist Mike Campagnolo and drummer Mike "M-Bro" Embro. The founding members, the guitarist and rhythm section, were former school-mates.[2] A 5-track demo was recorded in 1984 prior to the release of the Armed & Dangerous EP in May 1984 by Voice Records, which received underground acclaim. A pre-production demo album titled Escape the Fire was then recorded in December 1984, which would become the first full-length album Executioner's Song, released in April 1985 through Viper Records. It was followed up by Evil Invaders in October 1985. Razor performed in the United States and Canada with Slayer, Motörhead and Venom.
The third album Malicious Intent was released in April 1986. It suffered due to the build-up of internal conflicts within the band and the lack of an official release in the United States, which in turn led to their record company dropping the band. In 1987, the fourth album Custom Killing was released. Self-financed, the album met with poor commercial success and was in turn overlooked by fans, with the music moving to a more experimental approach than previous releases. Drummer Mike Embro and bassist Mike Campagnolo left the band shortly after the album's release and were replaced with Dave Carlo's brother Adam on bass and Rob Mills on drums. Razor returned to their roots with the fifth album Violent Restitution, which was released in 1988 by Steamhammer. It was well-received, being considered more aggressive and heavier than its predecessor.
Vocalist Stace McLaren's interest in the band declined which eventually led to his departure. He was replaced with SFH vocalist Bob Reid. The band then signed with Fringe Product and released Shotgun Justice in March 1990. They headlined smaller venues, performing with Sacrifice and Disciples of Power. Drummer Rob Mills was involved in an accident which made him unable to perform as a result. Adam Carlo left the band and was replaced with SFH bassist Jon Armstrong. The next album Open Hostility was released in 1991. Due to Mills' injury and inability to perform on the album, Dave Carlo used a drum machine to replicate his style. Mills later returned and Razor embarked on a tour in support of the album leading up to their final performance on October 2, 1992. Following the tour, the band split-up. A compilation called Exhumed was issued by Fringe Product during the band's absence. [3]
Reformation and recent years (1996–present)
Razor live in Toronto, 2009 In 1996, Razor became active again as a result of vocalist Bob Reid's idea of reforming the band. Both Reid and Carlo were joined by Armstrong and SFH drummer Rich Oosterbosch. The eighth studio album Decibels was released in 1997 by Hypnotic Records. Armstrong and Oosterbosch would no longer be in the band and was replaced by returning members Rob Mills and Adam Carlo (before being replaced by Mike Campagnolo).
Razor took part on The Gates of Hell tour in 2005, the Headbangers Open Air Festival in 2009 and the True Thrash Festival in Osaka in 2011. A DVD of this performance was released only in Japan in February 2012.
On April 19, 2012, Carlo was diagnosed with Stage 2 oral cancer,[4] but was successfully treated and resumed his guitar duties in 2015. The band performed at a charity event in 2014, the Maryland Deathfest in 2015[5] and the California Deathfest in 2016.[6]
In 2014, drummer Rob Mills left the band and was replaced with Ripp'rd drummer Rider Johnson.
The ninth studio album Cycle of Contempt was released on September 23, 2022, marking the first album in 25 years.[7][8][9]
Members Current members Dave Carlo – guitars (1983–1992, 1996–present) Mike Campagnolo – bass (1983–1987, 2005–2008, 2011–present) Bob Reid – vocals (1989–1992, 1996–present) Rider Johnson – drums (2014–present) Former members John Scheffel – vocals (1983–1984) Mike 'M-Bro" Embro – drums (1983–1987) Stace "Sheepdog" McLaren – vocals (1984–1989) Rob Mills – drums (1987–1992, 1998–2014) Adam Carlo – bass (1987–1990, 2003–2005, 2008–2010) John Armstrong – bass (1990–1992, 1996–2002) Rich Oosterbosch – drums (1996–1997) Shareef Hassanien – drums (2019)
Timeline
Discography Studio albums Executioner's Song (1985) Evil Invaders (1985) Malicious Intent (1986) Custom Killing (1987) Violent Restitution (1988) Shotgun Justice (1990) Open Hostility (1991) Decibels (1997) Cycle of Contempt (2022) EPs Armed & Dangerous (1984) Live albums Live! Osaka Saikou (2016) Demos Demo 84 (1984) Escape the Fire (1984) Decibels (1992) Compilations Exhumed (1994) Boxed sets 35 Years Thrash Insanity (2020)
Razor is a Canadian thrash metal band formed in Guelph, Ontario, in 1983. Known as one of the pioneering acts of the Canadian thrash scene, Razor combines raw aggression, high-speed riffs, and a relentless intensity that has earned them a cult following within the underground metal community. Their music is characterized by a no-frills, straight-to-the-point approach, with a sharp guitar tone, blistering solos, and tightly executed rhythms. Lyrically, Razor explores themes of violence, rebellion, and social critique, delivered with a snarling attitude that complements their ferocious sound.
Their debut album, Executioner’s Song (1985), introduced their fast and furious style, but it was albums like Evil Invaders (1985) and Violent Restitution (1988) that cemented their reputation as thrash legends. The band’s lineup has evolved over the years, with guitarist Dave Carlo being the consistent driving force behind Razor’s uncompromising vision. Despite lineup changes and periods of inactivity, Razor remains a staple of the thrash metal genre, continuing to influence new generations of metal musicians with their raw and unrelenting energy.
50 Similar Artists to Razor Exciter Sacrifice Annihilator Voivod Overkill Slayer Exodus Kreator Sodom Destruction Testament Death Angel Forbidden Dark Angel Vio-Lence Metal Church Anthrax Megadeth Metallica (early years) Flotsam and Jetsam Heathen Onslaught Artillery Tankard Whiplash Assassin Holy Moses Hirax Exumer Demolition Hammer Rigor Mortis Sadus Morbid Saint Coroner Mortal Sin Xentrix Sabbat (UK) Infernal Majesty Protector Warbringer Havok Gama Bomb Evile Municipal Waste Toxic Holocaust Bonded by Blood Fueled by Fire Exhorder Violence Force Deathrow These artists share Razor’s thrash ethos, delivering high-energy metal with fast riffs, aggressive vocals, and an emphasis on unrelenting speed and heaviness. Razor's place in thrash history is both foundational and enduring, with their sound continuing to inspire fans of extreme music worldwide.