Review by Felix on September 26, 2022.

With the exception of 2007, new reviews were constantly written for Razor albums since the beginning of the Encyclopaedia Metallum. Already this fact indicates the unbroken fascination of their music, because "Decibels", their last regular output, was released in 1997. No doubt, Razor's results delivered special vibes for every fan of genuine thrash metal. They were among the first formations of the genre and this alone serves as a certificate of authenticity.

Speaking of "Malicious Intent", the cover artwork captures some of the most important features of their music. It expresses dynamism and energy, while the flying sparks symbolize the heat of the band's musical approach. Only the red fingernails do not find their sexy equivalent in the music. We cannot have everything... In terms of the compositions, Razor's third full-length offers more of the same, but this is no point of criticism. The band rather achieves its top form while performing short thrash explosions. Even better, the production has definitely more punch than that of "Evil Invaders" (the drums sound like drums!) and therefore it is just unclouded, non-intellectual fun to listen to the album. Sheepdog and his brothers in spirit execute their tasks with an adequate dose of anger. In other words, aggression meets velocity in the kingdom of riffs. From a present perspective, albums like "Malicious Intent" played their part for the cultivation of classic thrash metal in a successful manner. That alone constitutes a good reason to love these outputs. But this is usually not the only aspect why they still deserve to be heard every now and then. Another big advantage of the here reviewed full-length is the vocal performance.

Sheepdog's voice reflects a convincing mix of fierceness and insanity. He is probably not the best trained singer and his approach fails to cover an octave. But this doesn't matter at all. What really counts is that he does the exposed job with heart and soul. His elongated screams at the beginning - "Turn it up! Turn it up! Louder! Louder!" - seem to be just a minor detail, but they are a very incisive opening of the album and whet the appetite for more. Apart from his contribution, the fantastic riffs mark another characteristic feature of the songs. The four dudes have eaten the formula of thrash riffs for breakfast and they leave no doubt that they have internalized this special knowledge. In particular the first half of the album - or, for the vinyl lovers, the A side - is based on precisely executed high class riffs. "Grindstone" marks the highlight due to its restless configuration, but the other parts of this quintet achieve a formidable level as well. The most "complex" number is the title track. It bundles the strengths of the band: Sheepdog's belligerence, dynamic tempo changes, a fairly catchy chorus, concise gang shouts, and, of course, the slicing guitar work.

Most probably due to the band's enormous pace of work (to release three albums during twelve months is no trifling matter, which can be confirmed by Def Leppard and other sleepy heads - our thrash brigade seemed to live in the recording studio), "Malicious Intent" is not totally free from relatively mediocre tracks. Its two predecessors have also suffered from this disease called oversupply. The here reviewed output does not bring lame material to the surface, yet it becomes clear that Razor are not always able to develop the full force of their actually strong riffs. However, one thing is certain. The Canadians stay loyal to the principles of the sub genre. Ballads, atmospheric interludes or experiments with atypical styles (funk or rap or any other form of crap) do not show up. At the latest the last song points out the position of the group very clearly.

It was rather a pity that the spirited thrashers tried something new with their next full-length. Of course, I refer to the two overlong numbers of "Custom Killing" with a playtime of eleven minutes. These monuments were no bad tracks, but the radical stylistic change was not everybody's cup of tea. Maybe the band thought that it was in a dead end after three similar publications? The question remains unanswered. But apart from this speculation, "Malicious Intent" scored with very stable, mostly exciting compositions.

Rating: 8.2 out of 10

Review by Arek on December 21, 2015.

Manipulation - after three years of waiting the time has come to delight ourselves in the new release from this death metal quintet from Poland. I admit that their second release – Passion - awakened my animal expectation (blood, blood, more blood LOL). The third full length was released by the Russian Satanath Records; it was recorded in the Monroe Sound Studio (Vesania, Masachist) so no need to worry about sound recording and quality and Karol "Godzir" Malicki took up graphic design duties.

Ecstasy regales us with 10 hearty pieces of modern technical death metal with thrash-groove and death-core leanings that remind me of older Machine Head. Manipulation’s new album clearly differentiates itself from the wave of old-school-death metal happening nowadays. Not that I stand against it -quite on the contrary- I count myself as old-school guy and as a matter of fact I personally think that good music will always defend itself and it doesn’t matter how listener/reviewer pigeonholes it. Returning to the Ecstasy, album starts with a song “Insomnia”, after few second long intro goes medium tempo, kinda feeling out the grounds. “Sic Itur Ad Astra” in accordance with title should lead us to the stars, but for me personally, it seems that it is only the vestibule leading to the titled "stars". You must, however, admit that screamed out by Bruzyc (voc) sentence at the end of the piece makes an impression. “Lifetime” is one of the fastest pieces on the album. Do not expect, however, any type of grind-core thumping. There are, of course fast rides here but there are also plenty of breakdowns. Next – “Bad Boy” (oh-so-eloquent title, haha) Manipulation slows the gears down giving the audience a breather and serves something in thrash-core convention. However, nothing on this album is too obvious, and therefore this - what seems like - slower song is not slow in its entirety. “The Paradigm Of Unrestraint” is a renewed exemption of constant changes between harsher cuts and it’s such a delicious treat. Thus, half of the album is in the past, and the second part begins with a song promoting the album titled “Sunset Over Vatican”. That one should be mentioned together with the faster pieces on here and its program was enhanced with a guitar solo by Jacek Grecki of Lost Soul which I must admit makes quite a difference; without taking anything from the whole song of course which certainly stands out on its own. ‘Archetypes’ screamed out multiple times pierces your brain like a nail piercing Christ’s hand. The beginning of “Temples Of Vanity” reminded me of Gothenburg styled melodic death metal (In Flames in particular) but it got way more brutal at the end. Some trick those guys pulled here LOL. Here comes another nail - "pleasure”. Both of those "nails” and "Sic Itur Ad Astra" remain in your head long after turning your player off. “Burn Motherfuckers”- the title says it all, and musically it's a cross-section of the new release from Manipulation. Some parts are slower, some are faster, there’s some guitar twisters and let’s not forget about some interesting ear candy well placed in this song. Przedostatni Dzwiek Upadku is a song that could as well be on Poland’s Frontside earlier play list. With lyrics written in Polish this song is like a longing for the legacy of aforementioned. Title track “Ecstacy” finishes the album. The slowest and most chart-topping song, and for me it’s like a cigarette after good sex – it’s all over and yet….

I like to encourage fans of death, thrash and core to delve into Ecstasy by Manipulation. There is so much happening on this album that one listen would certainly not be enough, and everyone can find something to enjoy on it. Although I personally have a greater fondness for Passion, I also know that, despite the repeated listening sessions of Ecstasy, I'll come back to this album many times, just like I did with Passion.

Rating: 9 out of 10