RAZORMAZE AND WITCHERY: NEW THRASH DOUBLE-SHOT

• Razormaze: It’s pretty hard to be a new thrash band in 2010 without being lumped in with all the re-thrash bands of the past 3 years. Those that have been successful at avoiding the generic genre tag either a) have a sense of humor about their music (i.e. Municipal Waste, Rumpelstiltskin Grinder) or b) incorporate other influences into their style (i.e. Revocation, Lazarus A.D.) or both. Boston thrash outfit Razormaze definitely fall into category (b) by blending thrash with a slew of other influences, and at least musically they seem to fall into category (a) as well [though I haven’t spent any time with their lyrics]. The bottom of line is that Razormaze are really good and worth your listening time; download their 3 song EP Miseries for free at their Bandcamp page. [Thanks: Jordan Munson]
• Witchery: Not a new band by any means, Witchery have amongst their ranks an all-star cast of metal musicians: Jensen (guitars) of The Haunted, Rickard Rimfält (guitars) of Séance, Sharlee D’Angelo (bass) from Arch Enemy and Spiritual Beggars, and Martin Axenrot (drums) of Opeth and Bloodbath. Though their lineup is filled with a bunch of Swede melodeth and death metal vets, their sound is decidedly thrashy; think faster Slayer-style with hints of death metal influence, as opposed to the slightly more lighthearted brand offered by Razormaze. The upcoming album Witchkrieg, set for a June 29th North American release, features the debut of new vocalist Legion (ex-Marduk, ex-Devian), another fellow Swede.

-VN