MARSHALL LAW - stub review added 22nd January 2009
Album Review: Razorhead (2008)
For fans of: power metal... and, interestingly, bands like Emperor
Created in Birmingham (UK) in the late 80's, Marshall Law have seen varying levels of success and various line-ups through the years. The current iteration consists of Andy Pyke on vocals, Dave Martin and Dave Rothan on guitar, Tom Dwyer on bass and Steve Hauxwell on drums.
Razorhead is the band's 6th studio album and the first for almost ten years. Shame it's taken so long. This is an album that begs you to head bang. If you refuse, it WILL make you. I can't remember the last time I heard an album with such a perfect stomping sound.
There's fathoms of layering to the music. It really does remind me of Emperor's IX Equilibrium. Razorhead is infinitely more accessible, but that symphonic wall of beauty is there with wailing guitars flowing beautifully in the midst of thunderous power chords and blockbusting drums. Imagine Mr Scandinavian Black Metal and Mrs Germanic Power Metal having a baby and naming it Charles Caruthers Winstanley. That baby would be this music. Possibly.
Vocally the album isn't what you'd expect at all. Andy Pyke has oodles of power at his disposal, but more often than not he belts out a melodious tone that contrasts sharply with the music. He has a youthful feel to his voice that often leaves him sounding like an exuberant teenager. It keeps the tracks fresh and relevant, even though the basis of this music is as old-school as metal gets.
Few of the songs stand head and shoulders above the others. There is plenty of character and individuality, but there's a blurring of ideas between tracks. Still, when your ideas are this good who gives a rat's ass? The lyrics are typical heavy metal fare, with the cliched and naughty "Whiplash, rip your f*cking spine out" winning a small trophy for best line.
Razorhead is a fantastic album from start to finish. It will appeal to fans of melodic rock and black metal alike. It doesn't do anything out of the ordinary, but it does do all the normal stuff brilliantly. Yes, there aren't any exceptional moments, but there don't need to be. How good is this album? Buy it and you'll find out...
Check out... The guitar sound. Beautifully raw and powerful, almost live in feel.
Track List:
1. The Summoning
2. Razorhead
3. Premonition
4. Headtrap
5. Gods Of Deception
6. Night Terror
7. The Chamber
8. Divides Us
9. Nothing Lasts Forever
10. Devil's Anvil
11. Blood And Pain
12. Another Bullet
13. Bloodlines
14. Hell On Earth
15. Necromancer
Label: DR2 Records
Band websites: Marshall Law , MySpace
