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Hellrazor: In the wild

06/05/09 || HailandKill

Metalheads are the ultimate hedonists because they live for the pursuit of (musical) pleasure. Consider them wankers of sound. Instead of playing with themselves, they push “play” buttons and enjoy selfish, solitary fun. Just like wanking. If their appetites aren’t sated, then they vainly search for that elusive music rush. It’s almost the Holy Grail, this endless questing for a heavier song, a better band, a perfect album.

If that opening paragraph explained our deepest motivation, then thank your condoms Hellrazor released this fine debut. “In the Wild” is the guiltless good time so many metalheads have been craving for years. Of course, supposing what is craved has roots in the 80’s, thrash metal, and Rob Halford vocals.

On to the album now: launching their careers with the thunderous crack of infernal drums, opener and title track “In The Wild” arrives driven by guitar-man Charley Shackelford’s god-sized riffs that compels your neck to start bobbing. It’s a tune that’s somewhere between Accept and Testament, catchy as hell and old school as shit. (That really didn’t make a lot of sense.)

Hellrazor keep a good thing going well into track number two, a self-named tribute that celebrates how awesome the band is. If Iron Maiden has “Iron Maiden,” Overkill has “Overkill,” and uh…that’s it, you get the idea. The bottom line is, the song “Hellrazor” can become a crowd favorite—an encore, even—if and when the band gain a lot more popularity. The next highlight is “The Pawn,” which is executed a lot faster and continues to slay the listener’s misgivings. “Possession” proves there’s more going on between this quartet’s imaginations than writing beat-your-hairy-chest-anthems. Dark, brooding, and emotional, if stuff like this were around in 1985, Hellrazor would have upstaged Queensryche, Armored Saint, and Savatage. Holy cow!

Perhaps the only stains on this otherwise flawless album are two lackluster ballads, “Darker Days” and “The Passing Hour.” Think mid-tempo Megadeth and Iced Earth’s slower moments…and maybe WASP or Skid Row. In not so many words, both tunes hella suck.

The album’s pace picks up again with the sexy “Stacked Up” that melds AC/DC’s testosterone with The Village People’s macho spirit to tell the story of a hot momma who has too much junk in her trunk. Keeping true to their metal roots, “Ride or Die” further glorifies the Harley riding superman every metalhead dreams of. As if wild animals, chicks, and motorcycles weren’t enough to establish how dedicated Hellrazor are to the metal cause, they finish the album with “3AM,” a song that begins with the crack of a beer can being opened. It’s about sleazy gigs and the struggling musician’s lifestyle. Every loser playing in a band will relate to this.

So there you have it, one hour of fun to be slobbered over by lusty, music-eating metalheads. “In The Wild” has the same appeal as the urge to wank, so there’s a 95% chance you’re gonna dig this album. Nice odds, eh?

8 stacked up chicks out of 10.

Information
Released: 2008
Label: Heaven and Hell Records
Website: www.myspace.com/hellrazor
Band
Alan Rueda: vocals
Charley Shackelford: guitar
Dave Sanchez: bass
Chuck Giardino: drums

Tracklist
01. In the wild
02. Hellrazor
03. The pawn
04. Darker days
05. Possession
06. The passing hour
07. Stacked up
08. Ride or die
09. 3AM

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