Review by Felix on March 6, 2021.

I am seeking for The Stone's full-length from the year 2007 (Неке Ране Крваре Вечно) for several months, but every mail order fails to deliver this seemingly attractive album. Fortunately, the world is full of placebos, just think of rubber dolls or tofu sausages. Therefore, I decided to buy this split 7" in order to relieve the pain. And even if I am not familiar with inflatable sex partners or vegetarian hot dogs, I dare to say that this vinyl is a good substitute for the untraceable album.

The guys from the Serbian underground present a coherent number with an erratic main riff and mighty breaks that do not damage its flow. 'Antiutopija' heralds the ideology of honest black metal in a mid-harsh manner. Its clearly defined sound is perhaps a problem for some oh so trve pvrists who sit in their children's room and play computer games, but everybody else will enjoy the high pressure of the mix. It contributes to the fact that the lively track is constantly in motion. As a result, the guys avoid any kind of boring sequences successfully. If this double bass driven piece indicates the average strength of their compositions, I have to take a deep dive into the discography of The Stone.

I do not really know the full-lengths of Isvind that they have released since their comeback, but their early works did not fully convince me. Nevertheless, their song for this Norwegian-Serbian collaboration stands up to the critical scrutiny of sceptical guys like me. Its almost hypnotizing guitars contrast with the rumbling drums and the malicious vocals, before the cleverly designed piece attacks in a more furious way. Without stylistic experiments and in accordance with The Stone, the Scandinavians respect the tried and tested agenda of black metal. The tempo changes are not an end in itself, they create a gripping flow. Only the brief solo confuses me a little bit, but it also does not hurt the quality of 'Opplagt Krass'.

The collaboration makes sense in view of the very similar approach of both bands. I cannot identify significant differences in terms of anger, complexity and atmosphere. Norway and Serbia march shoulder to shoulder and, to cap it all, both songs also benefit from a suitable production. Thus, this split unites the motherland of the second wave with a still underdeveloped country in a successful manner. With that said, I keep on looking for Неке Ране Крваре Вечно.

Rating: 7.8 out of 10

Review by Death8699 on June 23, 2019.

If you wish to hear some annoying metal, Totentanz is for you. All of the effects I didn't dig whatsoever. If they kept it to just the guitars with all hoarse vocals, then it would've gotten a better rating from me. Industrial metal I'm just not into really. I don't like anything other than the guitar, intense vocals and solid production sound. This album does have a strong production, but the music or I should say the accompanying music to the guitars, should be erased.

I didn't quite like the multiple vocal outputs. Some were just irritating as hell. The guitar riffs feature palm muted frenzies along with chord progressions. The keyboards and flute really need to go though. They really ruined the guitars. A miserable release to listen to. The only thing that they have good to offer are the guitar riffs. The leads are insane too. Really technical and well played out. The vocals too need to feature just one album member, not multiple ones. The keyboards really got on my nerves and like I said ruined the release. The intro effects to some songs were distasteful and totally uncalled for. There are clean guitar bits here too that are played out well though and the guitar is solid. The only thing good about this release ARE the guitars. Total talent that deserves praise. The combination of hoarse throat alongside screaming didn't mesh well. If they kept it to deep throat, then it would've suited the music better. I'm not a big fan of industrial metal like I said so of course some bias does exist with me. But really, to talk about the guitar here is the best thing to discuss. The riffs are original sounding and the tempos aren't that fast, more groove laden. The leads are blistering and played with precision. The main guitars are strong and build this release up. Too bad that they included multiple vocalists. The guitar along with hoarse throat would've been the best for the band.

I guess that if you're a fan of industrial metal, then Totentanz hits home for you. Otherwise, I found this release to be putrid because of all of the effects and badly executed ideas that go alongside the guitars. The guitars were the highlight here, nothing else. I wouldn't say that this album is wholly original, just the guitar bits. The rest I couldn't really tolerate. I don't plan on getting future releases from this band. I'd like to bury this one in the mud!

Rating: 6 out of 10

Review by JD on November 12, 2012.

My Grandmother once told me that too many ingredients sometimes can ruin a good meal and I remembered that. It's sort of a good way to look at things not only in cooking, but in the music field as well. I have came across many acts both here in my country and everywhere that people send me music from... and that can sometime ruin things.

Ukraine based Thunderkraft seems to be one of those sort of bands, that uses so many elements of extreme metal into their own sonic assault. Parts of Groove Metal, Death Metal, Industrial Metal, Black Metal and even has some Pagan/Folk Metal outshoots even come into it. It seems like they have all of the cornerstones for a Extreme Metal outfit bulked up on steroids - but it is these multitudes of influences that stalls the band and confuses everyone. It feels like their music completely bogs down from all of these things fighting for supremacy, and the album never had the chance to flow because of all of these various parts.

The music seems so cut-and-paste through all, it seems the bad side of surreal at best. Strange song structures that goes no where with ill placed vocals that seem so shockingly out of place and guitars that sound like they are being played under water - it is hard to listen to. Thunderkraft have some heaviness to them, but the simple Industrial riffs get very boring fast, the lack of varying song structures leads nowhere even though there is a hint of something resembling talent in the music.

Settling on one basic style with small doses of others might be the way to go for a band that confuses more than entertains. If Thunderkraft takes that rout, while still being creative as hell - they will find many markets that will embrace them rather than laugh at their pitiful attempt they have here. Hope they take this to heart, because they do have a great amount of promise - but they cannot get to that place the way their music is now.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 6
Atmosphere: 3
Production: 5
Originality:4
Overall: 6

Rating: 4.8 out of 10

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 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 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