I'll listen to this at some point. Shame they couldn't get the production right. They were a great band and all of my metalhead buddies rate them very highly as well (much higher than some of the other Canadian bands mentioned in this video -- Voivod is always going to be my personal favourite though). The last few times I've seen Razor live I've felt that maybe some of the mental and physical strain Dave has been under might be affecting the performances. I feel so bad for the guy and can't even imagine what he must be feeling now.
Necrotic Nick- It's definitely still worth a listen and it does have some killer songs. That production really hampers it though and the very by the numbers approach isn't helping much either. I knew about Dave being a cancer survivor but reading up I didn't realized that his wife was dying and his daughter was battling mental illness. That's horrible. I can't imagine even thinking about music or touring or anything like that while all of that was going on. My heart goes out to him and his family.
As a Canadian this makes me weep....I honestly didn't hear a whole lot about it up until it was released, but after a listen I figured out why it dropped as quietly as it did ☹️
Just listened to Cyclone of Contempt. Agree the guitars 🎸 need to be raised in the mix, pumped up with a thicker, beefy sound. The drums 🥁 do sound too mechanical. So turn up the guitars and loosen up the drum sound and you got a banger of a modern day thrash album! Maybe a remaster someday will tweak those issues to make Razor/Cyclone sound more reminiscent of their classic speed/thrash albums of the 1980s. Razor fan. Hope they tour on this comeback record! Violence & Razor..What a great bill that would be!!
@@thrallsofmetal yeah I agree. Razor guitars 🎸 need to be at the forefront of the mix. Plus drum sound more like Hoglan or Lombardo. Still great to see new music from them. Just like Violence, Possessed, etc. Glad these old School thrash bands are still working.
I'm a Razor fan but I admit their best era was with Sheepdog. Those first 5 albums; especially Evil Invaders, Malicious Intent, and my favorite Violent Restitution are amazing. The first two with Bob Reid are still good but Decibels was disappointing. I was hoping this would be a step up but the production, vocals, and lyrics are so bad. It really hurts to say that since Razor are underrated within the Canadian thrash metal scene but this was an utter disappointment.
Necrotic Nick- I do love the Sheepdog era but I still enjoy Bob Reid's stuff on Shotgun Justice and even Open Hostility. This one was a letdown though. The muffled guitars, drum machine and the by the numbers songs all really stacked up against this one. I do love some tracks on it but I'm definitely disappointed.
I have never owned any Razor, but being Canadian they've always been in the back of my mind. I always thought of Sacrifice as the Canadian Slayer, and Razor as the Canadian Destruction.
Necrotic Nick- I'd say with as raw and fast as they are I think Razor's German counterpart would be more Sodom than Destruction. They definitely have some killer albums worth owning though like Shotgun Justice and Violent Restitution.
Necrotic Nick- That drum programming, while it did sound obvious, still sounded good versus this. The high hat sounds like someone shaking their car keys next me on this one.
Necrotic Nick- If this is your first experience with Razor I strongly recommend checking out Shotgun Justice and Violent Restitution. Really killer stuff.
Necrotic Nick- I think if this was produced differently and the tracks were more varied up I would have enjoyed it more. Razor should never have muffled guitars in my opinion.
I checked it out but I was a little disappointed with the points that you guys pointed out. I was really looking forward to this. Canadian Slayer. It could of been better for sure
Necrotic Nick- I still think this is OK but those earlier albums really set a precedence for me and this one really didn't live up to my expectations. Still, it has it's moments for sure.
love razor my favourite razor albums executioner,s song evil invaders violent restitution when I was a kid shotgun justice when I was younger great review will definitely check out the new razor album 👍🤘🙂👍
As a Punk Rocker, straight Thrash Metal and Old School Swedish Death Metal are the two sub-genres of Metal that appeal more to me and which I would show to any Punk Rocker to show that we aren't so different. I like Razor (it's always nice to workout listen to Shotgun Justice) and I agree with what you guys said. Do you guys like Technical Thrash Metal? Bestial Invasion released a hell of an album last year. (And if anyone wants a recommendation of Punk (in particular Skate Punk) bands with Metal influences I'll be happy to oblige).
Necrotic Nick- I love Razor for their primal, straight ahead, faster than everyone approach and, while that is still here, it feels by the numbers and that production is terrible. Shotgun Justice and Violent Restitution are legit bangers I go back to often but this pales in comparison. I do love more techy thrash so I'll check that one out when I get some free time. Thanks for the recommendation, bro!
@@MetalxScum I'll put it this way, band - an album - a song for you to try. Bigwig - Reclamation - Follow The Leader. Mute - Raven - Shredder. Straightline - Keep Your Cool - Leaders of Self-Destruction. Strung Out - Exile in Oblivion - Blueprint of the Fall. Belvedere - Revenge of the Fifth - The Architect. IVS - Rest Assured, We Are Not Your Saviours - Walls. Pour Habit - Got Your Back - Greenery. Sunsgrind - Truth is eternal but with lies - No Solution. Adrenalized - Operation Exodus - Revenge. Forus - We - Aaron. * A Wilhelm Scream is a Melodic Hardcore band, but you can also check them out. I recommend the album Ruiner. Songs, The Pool, Cancer Dream.
25 year wait for an album that took at least 2- 3 years to make (read it took this long) you'd think someone would have doubled checked the production on it lol!
“A biting dose of adrenalized thrash no different than the way Razor have done it since first issuing Executioner's Song in 1985.” - Loudwire “It's another ripper that hearkens right back to their classic era.” - Brooklyn Vegan “Razor have returned after a 25-year gap between albums with the most exhilarating record of their almost four-decade career: the lethal Cycle Of Contempt.” - Invisible Oranges “Thankfully Razor’s return is nothing less than triumphant. Is it their best album? Time will tell. Cycle of Contempt is a welcome comeback.” - Ghost Cult “Cycle of Contempt is a severe testament from a band ready to return. - New Noise Magazine "Razor keeps the essence of old school thrash metal alive with more energy and strength than in the '80s.” - La Heavy Spain “ “Sharp and aggressive carrousel of cutting blades. Old school thrashing exactly as it should thrash! Full points!” - Spark Magazine (Czech Republic) "a first-class thrash album that perfectly captures the I-grab-your-collar-and-smash-your-face-feeling typical of RAZOR." - Rock Hard Germany
Necrotic Nick- Those are all the opinions of those publications. We have ours. It's all subjective. I still thing this is OK but it pales in comparison to their older material.
it is huge comeback album and they did it under a major label. final result , cheap drum ezdrummer programming. cool riffs but they are wasted. I was doing same quality recording 15 years ago in my room without money and free downloaded ezdrummer trial version. I am not even kidding.
Necrotic Nick- Pretty much what I thought. I had pretty high expectations for this one and I definitely feel let down. I don't think it's terrible but it's pretty underwhelming overall. I just don't get how they heard the mix of this album and thought it sounded good.
I disagree. I love this album a lot. The only issue I may have with the production is the drums being a hair loud, but I thought the guitars were just fine, and the bass was prominent. Maybe my ears are broken? I don't know. But hey, to each their own. This is one of my favorites of the year so far as of now.
Necrotic Nick- To each their own on that one but being a Razor fan for a long time this one missed the mark for me. I hate the drum machine sound and the high hat sounds like someone jingling their keys next to my ears. Comparing this one to previous albums may have set me up for disappointment though.
Bands like Carcass, Possessed, Exhorder, Alice In Chains and others recorded great return albums, so I had very high hopes for Razor because I love most of their material. Some good moments, but it sounds uninspired and hollow to me.
Necrotic Nick- I was stoked to hear Razor was coming back but this was a letdown. I think maybe if they just took more time with it and took the time to get some real drums and a better mix this could have been amazing. It has it's moments but not nearly enough.
Their last album, Decibels, was GNARLY, most notably the song "Life Sentence"! Also, Disturbed are returning to their early nu metal roots with their new album, which is entitled Divisive. That album will drop November 18th [same weekend as Candlemass] and hopefully it'll be better than their last album, Evolution, which that album *SUCKED!* Only downside, one of the songs on that new Disturbed album is featuring legendary singer ANN WILSON of classic rock band Heart!
@@thrallsofmetal it seems very text book thrash which is of course fine but I’ll just listen to the classics for that especially with how much high quality thrash is out now
Necrotic Nick- Same here. I went back and jammed Shotgun Justice and Violent Restitution in preparation for this one. That unfortunately made it more disappointing.
Kind of Thrash equiv to ACDC. Same simplish song structures and repeating drums, although without Rudd's sway. Also a good thing Razor lyrics have evolved alongside their age. But this release was a bit dissappointing. Doesn't hold a candle to Shotgun Justice.
Necrotic Nick- They definitely have their own formula but this one just felt kinda lackluster after such a long hiatus. I was really hoping for something more akin to Shotgun Justice or Violent Restitution but there's still some bangers in this one.
I agree with you guys. The dumb lyrics & horrible guitar tone make this one a hard pass for me. Old stuff was cool. This album sounds like a 6th rate thrash band of old men playing in front of an angry nursing home
Necrotic Nick- Lyrically Razor has never been that great but they made up for it by being ridiculous, heavier than hell fun. If this was produced differently with real drums and beefier guitars I might like it a bit more but this was not the comeback I was hoping for.
It's crap...kinda like 4 or 5 out of the whole thing...kinda. "Punch Your Face In", "A Bitter PIll"...rest is generic as hell and sounds like it was recorded in a garage.
![RAZOR - Cycle of Contempt [FULL ALBUM STREAM]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/HxLXzW3nvZQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Fan of RAZOR..Evil Invaders, Violent Restitution and Shotgun Justice!! 80s Thrash!!
Don't forget malicious intent
Great album! My favorite thrash album of 2022 so far.🤘
Necrotic Nick- It kinda missed the mark for me, but to each their own.
Same here!
I'll listen to this at some point. Shame they couldn't get the production right. They were a great band and all of my metalhead buddies rate them very highly as well (much higher than some of the other Canadian bands mentioned in this video -- Voivod is always going to be my personal favourite though). The last few times I've seen Razor live I've felt that maybe some of the mental and physical strain Dave has been under might be affecting the performances. I feel so bad for the guy and can't even imagine what he must be feeling now.
Necrotic Nick- It's definitely still worth a listen and it does have some killer songs. That production really hampers it though and the very by the numbers approach isn't helping much either. I knew about Dave being a cancer survivor but reading up I didn't realized that his wife was dying and his daughter was battling mental illness. That's horrible. I can't imagine even thinking about music or touring or anything like that while all of that was going on. My heart goes out to him and his family.
As a Canadian this makes me weep....I honestly didn't hear a whole lot about it up until it was released, but after a listen I figured out why it dropped as quietly as it did ☹️
Necrotic Nick- It's still OK but I have to admit it's a letdown after that long wait. Still, it's worth checking out.
Just listened to Cyclone of Contempt. Agree the guitars 🎸 need to be raised in the mix, pumped up with a thicker, beefy sound. The drums 🥁 do sound too mechanical. So turn up the guitars and loosen up the drum sound and you got a banger of a modern day thrash album! Maybe a remaster someday will tweak those issues to make Razor/Cyclone sound more reminiscent of their classic speed/thrash albums of the 1980s. Razor fan. Hope they tour on this comeback record! Violence & Razor..What a great bill that would be!!
Necrotic Nick- It may have been a rushed job when it came down to the production but it really does hamper the album overall.
@@thrallsofmetal yeah I agree. Razor guitars 🎸 need to be at the forefront of the mix. Plus drum sound more like Hoglan or Lombardo. Still great to see new music from them. Just like Violence, Possessed, etc. Glad these old School thrash bands are still working.
New Venom inc. album is very nice surprise. blows this one outta park fo sho.
Necrotic Nick- I do like that one better honestly.
This lp will end up in my collection 4 sure RAZOR Fing rule🤘🤘
Never heard of Razor before. What is a good Album to listen to?
@@Nall412 well Evil invaders is a good place to start then you can go back or forward from their but every lp is great good luck in your journey
@@THRASHORBETHRASHED851 Oh these guys are Canadian. I can’t believe I never heard them before
@@Nall412 yep they are canada has some awesome thrash
What were the ratings??
I'm a Razor fan but I admit their best era was with Sheepdog. Those first 5 albums; especially Evil Invaders, Malicious Intent, and my favorite Violent Restitution are amazing. The first two with Bob Reid are still good but Decibels was disappointing. I was hoping this would be a step up but the production, vocals, and lyrics are so bad. It really hurts to say that since Razor are underrated within the Canadian thrash metal scene but this was an utter disappointment.
Necrotic Nick- I do love the Sheepdog era but I still enjoy Bob Reid's stuff on Shotgun Justice and even Open Hostility. This one was a letdown though. The muffled guitars, drum machine and the by the numbers songs all really stacked up against this one. I do love some tracks on it but I'm definitely disappointed.
Listened to KenMode Venom Inc Miscreace and Sonja. Ironically didn’t get to this one. Can’t wait 🤘🏽
Necrotic Nick- There is a ton of stuff to keep up with this month but yeah, this one was a bit on the disappointing side for me.
Razor still great players. Fast metal musicians with an attitude. Fun, good stuff. Great listen. Just needs a remix!
Necrotic Nick- I think with a remix and real drums on here this would have been a bit better.
@@thrallsofmetal totally agree.
I have never owned any Razor, but being Canadian they've always been in the back of my mind. I always thought of Sacrifice as the Canadian Slayer, and Razor as the Canadian Destruction.
Necrotic Nick- I'd say with as raw and fast as they are I think Razor's German counterpart would be more Sodom than Destruction. They definitely have some killer albums worth owning though like Shotgun Justice and Violent Restitution.
The drums being programmed wouldn't surprise me, Open Hostilely had a drum machine for that record
Necrotic Nick- That drum programming, while it did sound obvious, still sounded good versus this. The high hat sounds like someone shaking their car keys next me on this one.
@@thrallsofmetal I just ordered the new album, going to give it a listen on my way to Holiday World this weekend. I also have Open Hostilely as well.
loved the album, after the first song i was sold, never heard of this band before. but man i love this album!
Necrotic Nick- If this is your first experience with Razor I strongly recommend checking out Shotgun Justice and Violent Restitution. Really killer stuff.
Nice review gents! I haven't heard much Razor but I love Voivod so fuck yeah! Keep bringing the heat guys! You fucking slay!
Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! I still recommend checking out Razor's early stuff like Violent Restitution. That album in particular rips.
Y'all need to get on that new Sumerlands album. It's really good.
Necrotic Nick- I may pick that one up and cover it in a collection update in the future. I did like the singles.
I loved the album. The only thing that I wasn’t a fan of was some of the vocal effects.
Necrotic Nick- I think if this was produced differently and the tracks were more varied up I would have enjoyed it more. Razor should never have muffled guitars in my opinion.
Im excited, id rather have sheepdog back on vocals though his screeches made razor for me
Necrotic Nick- I like both Bob and Sheepdog but this one could have used some more love in terms of the production.
I checked it out but I was a little disappointed with the points that you guys pointed out. I was really looking forward to this. Canadian Slayer. It could of been better for sure
Necrotic Nick- I still think this is OK but those earlier albums really set a precedence for me and this one really didn't live up to my expectations. Still, it has it's moments for sure.
Holy metal ...they are back they had some nice stuff gonna hafta hear bout this offering aye 🤘😋👊🧠
Necrotic Nick- I'm definitely a bit disappointed by this one but it definitely still has it's moments.
@@thrallsofmetal yessir I do see what you mean yikes! 😁😋🤘
love razor my favourite razor albums executioner,s song evil invaders violent restitution when I was a kid shotgun justice when I was younger great review will definitely check out the new razor album 👍🤘🙂👍
Necrotic Nick- This one was just OK but there's definitely some bangers on it.
@@thrallsofmetal 🙂👍🤘
As a Punk Rocker, straight Thrash Metal and Old School Swedish Death Metal are the two sub-genres of Metal that appeal more to me and which I would show to any Punk Rocker to show that we aren't so different. I like Razor (it's always nice to workout listen to Shotgun Justice) and I agree with what you guys said. Do you guys like Technical Thrash Metal? Bestial Invasion released a hell of an album last year. (And if anyone wants a recommendation of Punk (in particular Skate Punk) bands with Metal influences I'll be happy to oblige).
Necrotic Nick- I love Razor for their primal, straight ahead, faster than everyone approach and, while that is still here, it feels by the numbers and that production is terrible. Shotgun Justice and Violent Restitution are legit bangers I go back to often but this pales in comparison. I do love more techy thrash so I'll check that one out when I get some free time. Thanks for the recommendation, bro!
What are some of your recommendations for metal skate punk?
@@MetalxScum I'll put it this way, band - an album - a song for you to try.
Bigwig - Reclamation - Follow The Leader.
Mute - Raven - Shredder.
Straightline - Keep Your Cool - Leaders of Self-Destruction.
Strung Out - Exile in Oblivion - Blueprint of the Fall.
Belvedere - Revenge of the Fifth - The Architect.
IVS - Rest Assured, We Are Not Your Saviours - Walls.
Pour Habit - Got Your Back - Greenery.
Sunsgrind - Truth is eternal but with lies - No Solution.
Adrenalized - Operation Exodus - Revenge.
Forus - We - Aaron.
* A Wilhelm Scream is a Melodic Hardcore band, but you can also check them out. I recommend the album Ruiner. Songs, The Pool, Cancer Dream.
I am down with Razor and yelling at kids to get off of my lawn. Definitely will check this out. 🤘
Necrotic Nick- Same here lol. This was OK but I still have a lot of killer albums of theirs to jam as well.
Since i heard the album, i keep calling everyone 'jabroni's' hahaaa
25 year wait for an album that took at least 2- 3 years to make (read it took this long) you'd think someone would have doubled checked the production on it lol!
great video!!
Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man!
“A biting dose of adrenalized thrash no different than the way Razor have done it since first issuing Executioner's Song in 1985.”
- Loudwire
“It's another ripper that hearkens right back to their classic era.”
- Brooklyn Vegan
“Razor have returned after a 25-year gap between albums with the most exhilarating record of their almost four-decade career: the lethal Cycle Of Contempt.”
- Invisible Oranges
“Thankfully Razor’s return is nothing less than triumphant. Is it their best album? Time will tell. Cycle of Contempt is a welcome comeback.”
- Ghost Cult
“Cycle of Contempt is a severe testament from a band ready to return.
- New Noise Magazine
"Razor keeps the essence of old school thrash metal alive with more energy and strength than in the '80s.”
- La Heavy Spain
“ “Sharp and aggressive carrousel of cutting blades. Old school thrashing exactly as it should thrash! Full points!”
- Spark Magazine (Czech Republic)
"a first-class thrash album that perfectly captures the I-grab-your-collar-and-smash-your-face-feeling typical of RAZOR."
- Rock Hard Germany
Necrotic Nick- Those are all the opinions of those publications. We have ours. It's all subjective. I still thing this is OK but it pales in comparison to their older material.
it is huge comeback album and they did it under a major label. final result , cheap drum ezdrummer programming. cool riffs but they are wasted. I was doing same quality recording 15 years ago in my room without money and free downloaded ezdrummer trial version. I am not even kidding.
Necrotic Nick- Pretty much what I thought. I had pretty high expectations for this one and I definitely feel let down. I don't think it's terrible but it's pretty underwhelming overall. I just don't get how they heard the mix of this album and thought it sounded good.
It's still a decent album from Razor
3/5
Necrotic Nick- Outside of a handful of tracks I was a bit underwhelmed. I still bought it though.
I disagree. I love this album a lot. The only issue I may have with the production is the drums being a hair loud, but I thought the guitars were just fine, and the bass was prominent. Maybe my ears are broken? I don't know. But hey, to each their own. This is one of my favorites of the year so far as of now.
Necrotic Nick- To each their own on that one but being a Razor fan for a long time this one missed the mark for me. I hate the drum machine sound and the high hat sounds like someone jingling their keys next to my ears. Comparing this one to previous albums may have set me up for disappointment though.
Bands like Carcass, Possessed, Exhorder, Alice In Chains and others recorded great return albums, so I had very high hopes for Razor because I love most of their material. Some good moments, but it sounds uninspired and hollow to me.
Necrotic Nick- I was stoked to hear Razor was coming back but this was a letdown. I think maybe if they just took more time with it and took the time to get some real drums and a better mix this could have been amazing. It has it's moments but not nearly enough.
You are spot on…the production is so bad on this, specifically the guitars! Bummer
Necrotic Nick- The one thing on a Razor album that should never be muffled are the guitars.
Their last album, Decibels, was GNARLY, most notably the song "Life Sentence"! Also, Disturbed are returning to their early nu metal roots with their new album, which is entitled Divisive. That album will drop November 18th [same weekend as Candlemass] and hopefully it'll be better than their last album, Evolution, which that album *SUCKED!* Only downside, one of the songs on that new Disturbed album is featuring legendary singer ANN WILSON of classic rock band Heart!
Necrotic Nick- What did you think of this album?
@@thrallsofmetal The Metal Meltdown HATED this album! He gave it a 1.5/5!
Necrotic Nick- What did you think of it though?
@@thrallsofmetal Just listened to "Flames of Hatred", which was one of the singles. The production is a sack of butts!
No sheepdog, no Razor. Sorry Carlo
Necrotic Nick- Eh, I still like the Bob Reid stuff.
Razor albums ranked
Love razor but have not been impressed with the early singles
Necrotic Nick- There's still some solid songs on here but if you didn't like the singles that is kinda what the bulk of it sounds like.
@@thrallsofmetal it seems very text book thrash which is of course fine but I’ll just listen to the classics for that especially with how much high quality thrash is out now
I'm King shit,get used to it!!!
Production is a shame,Thrash does Not need programed drums. Still a great album to lift to.
Necrotic Nick- It definitely has it's moments but the production really hampers it unfortunately.
Damn. I'm disappointed. I had high hopes for this one.
Necrotic Nick- Same here. I went back and jammed Shotgun Justice and Violent Restitution in preparation for this one. That unfortunately made it more disappointing.
Kind of Thrash equiv to ACDC. Same simplish song structures and repeating drums, although without Rudd's sway. Also a good thing Razor lyrics have evolved alongside their age. But this release was a bit dissappointing. Doesn't hold a candle to Shotgun Justice.
Necrotic Nick- They definitely have their own formula but this one just felt kinda lackluster after such a long hiatus. I was really hoping for something more akin to Shotgun Justice or Violent Restitution but there's still some bangers in this one.
Yeah this would be a cool album if it had a good production.
Necrotic Nick- Honestly that and some real drums would make this a lot better.
@@thrallsofmetal Yeah, but as it is its almost inlistenable for me.
Yeah Razor kicks so much fucking ass.
Necrotic Nick- Overall, they definitely do. This one is a bit of a miss for me though.
I think it was a great album just bad production
I agree with you guys. The dumb lyrics & horrible guitar tone make this one a hard pass for me. Old stuff was cool. This album sounds like a 6th rate thrash band of old men playing in front of an angry nursing home
Necrotic Nick- Lyrically Razor has never been that great but they made up for it by being ridiculous, heavier than hell fun. If this was produced differently with real drums and beefier guitars I might like it a bit more but this was not the comeback I was hoping for.
It's crap...kinda like 4 or 5 out of the whole thing...kinda. "Punch Your Face In", "A Bitter PIll"...rest is generic as hell and sounds like it was recorded in a garage.
Can someone explain to me wtf is going on king shit if this suppose to be funny ??or am i missing something?
Who cares about lyrics anyways. People are just looking for hooks. Casuals reviewing metal as always.
Necrotic Nick- We don't even list to metal. We prefer a polka honestly.