For another delve into the world of underrated albums, we have Canada’s Razor with their third album Evil Invaders. Razor has always had a unique sound, providing an expertly crafted combination of the aggressiveness and speed of thrash and the tight melodic tendencies of speed metal. After the rare and excellent debut EP Armed and Dangerous as well as the equally excellent debut Executioner’s Song, Razor crafted a masterpiece with Evil Invaders, an underrated gem of speed/thrash.
- “Nowhere Fast”: Right off the bat, Razor opens the album with a four-minute instrumental intro of thrash aggression. There’s not much to say here other than it really just pumps you up for the rest of the album.
- “Cross Me Fool”: Now the real musical kick-off begins. “Cross Me Fool” is great because it is the perfect representation of the entire album. Never once does the song let up in speed, like the motorcycle-bound Terminator-looking biker on the cover. Easily one of the album’s strongest tracks, “Cross Me Fool” kicks off the album right.
- “Legacy of Doom”: “Legacy of Doom” is one of the more interesting songs on the album. The first part of the song is straightforward aggressive thrash, almost Bathory-esque. But then the song changes to a speed metal sound more befitting of Venom. This just adds a whole layer to the album as it is the very definition of the combination of speed/thrash.
- “Evil Invaders”: The title track of the album is another combination of thrash and speed. The intro and chorus are very speed metal-ish whereas the verses and solo are much more thrash-like. The best part of the song is the solo, a remarkable piece of thrash shredding gold.
- “Iron Hammer”: At the midpoint of the album comes “Iron Hammer”. This is an interesting track as there is more of a speed metal sound than thrash. The verses and chorus consist of a more traditional speed sound with a blitz-speed thrash break in the middle.
- “Instant Death”: Another speed-like track, “Instant Death” feels a bit nostalgic for Razor’s earlier career. Sure the song is far heavier than the earlier stuff, but listening to the more classic speed sound that takes up a majority of the song, one can’t help but be reminded of earlier output like the Armed and Dangerous EP. Of course, by the end, the song kicks back up to a full-force thrash attack. “Instant Death” is easily one of my favorite songs on Evil Invaders.
- “Cut Throat”: Another awesome speed-like track. I’d like to say more but you could basically just copy and paste what I said about the last couple of tracks here.
- “Speed Merchants”: Picking back up, “Speed Merchants” (despite the title) drops the speed metal-influenced sound of the previous few tracks and goes back to full-on rampant thrash. “Speed Merchants” does not slow down even once, the whole song is over four minutes of straight consistent thrash metal. Easily another stand-out on the album.
- “Tortured Skull”: Another perfectly straightforward thrash track, “Tortured Skull” wastes no time charging ahead at full speed. There is some experimentation by vocalist Stace McLauren, breaking his range with some piercing high shrieks. “Tortured Skull” is one of the longer tracks, clocking in at five minutes and thirty-five seconds and it does not slow down or let up once.
- “Thrashdance”: Rounding out Evil Invaders is one final epic thrash jam. What would be a better way to end an underrated thrash album with a song about thrashing? Short and sweet at just over three minutes, “Thrashdance” brings Evil Invaders to an effective close with a last hurrah of thrash-metal intensity.
