HELLRAZOR „In The Wild”

Genre: Heavy Metal!!!
Country: USA
Band Website: www.myspace.com/hellrazornc
Duration: Nearly an hour of Heavy Metal ecstasy
Killer Songs: In the Wild,” “Hellrazor,” “Possesion”

It might not seem so, but your average metal webzine is staffed by a crew of very hardworking and dedicated professionals. Sure, they have to contend with work, family, or even school, plus serious bouts of laziness that are inevitably followed by remorse. Yet on top of everything, they manage to squeeze in precious quality time for their passion: feeding metalheads whatever it is webzines feed its readership. Professional, right?

It is these very people who sift through the tons (no kidding here—TONS) of music people send in daily and introduce them to a much wider audience. It’s a 365-day (okay, take a week off of the Christmas season) struggle to deliver the best. Always.

Yet no matter how hard they try, a few albums simply miss their collective scrutiny, which now brings us to Hellrazor’s debut “In The Wild.” Hah! You never suspected where these sentences were leading up to, did you? Ya unsuspecting bastard.

No hype, no subtle gratitude to their label for shelling out a free album, but the material at hand is the most incredible dose of unadulterated Heavy Metal anyone has heard in ages. All the classic influences are here, boys and girls. Iced Earth, Priest, Accept, Armored Saint, Metallica. In the hands of Hellrazor, the finest molten heavy metal ingredients have been set to record with devastating effect.

Opening title track starts with the faint rattle of drums that grows into a deafening rumble. Add face melting riffs, a killer melody, and vocalist Alan Rueda’s roar (he’s a clean singer though), thereby elevating the very first song of the band’s first album to classic status. These guys are total professional, whether on record or live, being long past the stage where they’re absorbing influences and finding their niche. None of this amateur nonsense for Hellrazor. The blueprint is set and what they do, they do perfectly.

Spot on soloing, serious lyrics, headbanging anthems, a couple of pseudo-ballads, and an ode to dangerously seductive women (that would be the catchy “Stacked Up”), conspire to give the listener goosebumps. The song “Hellrazor” itself is custom-made to ignite a stadium filled with thousands of screaming fans. Going farther than self-worship, the quartet celebrates their lifestyle on “Ride or Die,” “3AM,” and “Darker Days.” Hellrazor are on top throughout this kick ass opus. So everyone raise your broadswords and hail the new champions of American Heavy Metal!

Enough words now, quick…find a way to buy this album! (HailnKill suggests visiting their label’s website.)

note: 9.5/10

Tracklist

1.In The Wild
2.Hellrazor
3.The Pawn
4.Darker Days
5.Possesion
6.The Passing Hour
7.Stacked Up
8.Ride or Die
9.3AM

Line-up

Alan- Vocals
Charley- Guitars
Dave- Bass
Chuck- Drums