A Gander into the Abyss with Razorhoof
When I saw Monterey, CA, trio Razorhoof, they struck me as a very familiar, very blue collar-type of doom. The kind of doom dudes play on the weekend after getting their asses handed to them at work all week. A doom not all that surprising for a band named after a High on Fire song. They weren’t the most original band in the world, but they had their hearts in the right place, they were loud, tight and earnest, so I had absolutely no complaints. In fact, I even bought a CD.
That disc was their first EP, Razorhoof (Oscillator Records). Recorded by Scott Evans of Kowloon Walled City, packaged in a hand-screenprinted, hand-numbered cardboard case, and boasting six tracks in a little under 23 minutes, the disc gives off much more noise influence than I perceived in their live set, which may or may not be due to the work of vocalist Tony, who has since left the band, relegating vocal duties to bassist Nic and guitarist Rick. Tony’s distorted voice definitely adds some of that intense Unsane feel to the songs (some Pro-Pain in there too), but the bass-heavy mix is even more of a factor. In any case, Razorhoof still rocks.
Razorhoof begins with a modified version of the riff of Black Sabbath’s “Black Sabbath” that’s put to good use by Nic on bass, soon joined by the rest of the band, with drummer James largely responsible for separating Razorhoof’s “Intro” from that seminal doom track. The highlight of the EP is probably “Abyss,” which follows “Intro,” “Crawl” and “Watch” as the de facto centerpiece and seems to stumble on some of the apocalyptic atmospherics that has spawned an entire subgenre on Neurosis’ wake without actually venturing into any of the tropes of that subgenre and thus boring the hell out of me. To contrast, “Crawl,” has some starts and stops that feel like the ProTools faders were too harshly applied to the James’ cymbals where they should have been left to ring or be stopped more naturally by the drummer’s hands, but that’s really my only production gripe with the release (though if I were behind the board I might also thicken the guitar tracks if possible), and clearly it’s a minor one, so kudos all around.
“Controlled” weaves a lyrical tale of human hopelessness over speedier and angrier riffing than the earlier moments of Razorhoof saw. In particular, with its repeated lines, “Controlled” feels like a companion piece to “Crawl,” but the swing of “Crawl” relied more on doom groove, where “Controlled” seems to just seethe in its anger and use that for fuel instead. Closer “Devastation” (yes, they like one-word titles) does a good job blending these two pieces of Razorhoof’s collective musical personality, showing off a little punk snarl in the process without losing sight of its mission in the midst of a bass-led break, finding a straightforward push it shares with “Watch,” the shortest track on the album.
Unlike “Watch,” which sets up “Abyss,” “Devastation” ends suddenly and into a heavy silence. Razorhoof, the EP, is a short blast that blends noise rock intensity with neo-doom crush while maintaining an identity of its own. It’s not perfect by any stretch, but for a young band only around a couple years at this point, it’s a tremendous, cohesive start and, even considering the lineup shift, bodes very well for what’s yet to come.
Tags: California, Monterey, Oscillator, Razorhoof
