Review by Felix on September 26, 2022.

The Necrodeath offshoot called Sadist already knew it on their debut from 1993: sometimes they come back. But what they didn't reveal was that this also applied to their peers. I admit I did not know so far about the sadistic tendency of Dave Carlo and his comrades, but their comeback album brings it to light in a matter of seconds. 'Flames Of Hatred' is probably one of the worst thrash album openers of all times. Feeble guitars appear after a stupid intro, their riffing is expressionless as it can be and the chorus completely sucks. But the worst is yet to come: the vocals of Bob Reid are unbelievably disastrous. This guy has lost his complete vocal strength. Only a hoarse, boozy caricature has remained. Needless to say that his anti-performance also affects the further songs. Why doesn't someone like him just lie down in bed and reminisce? I have no answer to this question. I just know that this opener is perfectly aligned with the painfully embarrassing artwork. At some point beyond the age of 50, one could develop a minimum of aesthetic sensibility.

Okay, things get better as the album progresses. The pieces are straightforwardly designed. Some of them sound like forgotten tracks of the Decibels recordings. If I try to ignore the vocals, songs like 'Off My Meds' almost make fun. But on the other hand we have to go through a track like 'Crossed' with its terrible staccato parts that sound like the creation of a newcomer horde which has never heard of talent, skills or potential. The following 'First Rate Hate' is a hot contender for the title of most boring thrash song in 2022, even in view of its speedy last minute, but who knows yet what's to come.

Okay, Mister Bob one-tone-fits-all Reid fails all along the line, but what about the other guys? Well, a new guy sits behind the kit, but the drumming is as primitive as it has even been. It’s a prime example for this kind of stupidity we call “uffta-uffta” drumming in Germany. Dave Carlo, you see, I do not want to forget the positive aspects, comes up with some wicked riffs (and some vapid lines as well), but the production loves the drums more than his guitar and therefore his more or less good ideas get lost in the sound. And the bass guitar… well, did they record the contribution of Mike Campagnolo? I’m not quite sure, it just has its ten seconds of fame at the beginning of 'Punch Your Face In', a pretty good song (if a singer had been involved who was not yet rusty on the siding).

In terms of style, Razor still sound like they ever did, but they almost never reach the form of their previous works. Generally speaking, the shorter tracks ('A Bitter Pill', 'Darkness Falls') have more impact and dynamic than the longer ones, but today there are so many better thrash bands that it’s nearly a shame to release such a mediocre, significantly flawed album under the name of a legend. Loyal souls will nevertheless like certain aspects and some songs of the album, even though the closer, fittingly titled 'King Shit', seems like the ugly twin brother of the opener. Which brings us back to the beginning with the sadists, so to speak, but my need for bondage is more than covered for today.

Rating: 5.8 out of 10

Review by Fernando on September 28, 2022.

Russia is an interesting country when it comes to black metal. Most hardcore metalheads point out how Russian black metal tends to be very atmospheric, with a harsh and cold sound and very, very oppressive and hateful, (sometimes to an unsavory degree), but there’s also a crop of bands that go in different directions, as its the case with The Initiation, and their 2020 debut album Misanthropic Litany, which was released by Mara Productions.

The Initiation are a relatively fresh band, first formed in 2015 by various veterans of the current black metal scene in St. Petersburg, aside from their debut full length they had an EP. One of the best aspects of the band being a fairly new entity is both the limitless potential and energy, and they display both on this very record. The album opens strong with some industrial ambiance, which is a prelude to pure black metal, and the band are able to keep the intensity and aggression from start to finish. This is both one of the album’s better qualities but also a bit of an issue. The album is relentless and unforgiving and there’s no breathing room whatsoever, and while this doesn’t really bother me, this makes this record a black metal album, by black metal fans for black metal fans through and through. That being said, the production does alleviate some of the musical punishment, so if you’re not into black metal this record will be a hard sell, the other problem with that part is that a seasoned metalhead will probably be unimpressed with this record, some might even scoff at the clean production but on both counts that’s simply a matter of preference.

With that out of the way, one of the most interesting and enjoyable aspects of this record is how while the band don’t have the signature cold atmospherics their compatriots from the past and present have, the band absolutely do not discard the hateful melodies and oppressive riffs. Whole album is coated with them, moreover, the band’s sense of melody is perfectly incorporated into what’s otherwise a very aggressive record, and on top of that, the band manage to also incorporate some classic heavy metal groove and some folky licks, and all without the band switching from black metal. The production actually really helps them in those regards, as the clean sound gives the guitars and bass a piercing effectiveness; this also applies to the drums and vocals, the latter is forceful but retains a natural sound with very few effects, and the latter are utterly demented and unhinged, and any familiar with Void WHRT’s other projects would surely expect. And the band fully sell their brand of hateful black metal by operating as a single unit, not only are the performances tight and consistent, so is each song, and the end result speaks for itself.

The other criticisms that I have to point out of this record is first the pacing. While the album’s length has an average 40 minute runtime, and all the songs last between 4 to 5 minutes each, the simple compositions and repetitive sections tend to drag a bit, which makes some of the tracks feel longer that they actually are. The band manage to counter that with their skill and excellent performances, but it is noticeable, also, that issue goes in hand with my second criticism which is how the band’s sound and vibe is very eerily reminiscent of Inquisition, now it will be quite obvious the band aren’t just copying that band, for one, Void WHRT isn’t doing the frog-like vocals of Dagon and there’s also an audible and very well played bass, courtesy NRVS, but what is reminiscent of Inquisition is specifically the guitarwork of Dispirited, especially in some of the mid-paced sections, as he employs bending strings and broken chords, granted, these techniques aren’t exclusive to Inquisition, and the band as a whole do a lot more with them and succeed more often than not, which does give me a good feeling that in future records they’ll shed their influences and continue carving their own path.

Best tracks: 'Misanthropic Litany', 'His Wolves, His Hearts', 'Nocturnal Ascendancy', 'The Rite Of The Black Flame'

Rating: 7.5 out of 10