Blast Worship: Razoreater

Where they from?
Their Bandcamp profile simply lists them as “UK.” I should state here that my girlfriend recently made me watch some of the new season of The Great British Bake Off and I was amazed at what compelling television it was. I was literally on the edge of my seat trying to see if Maggie would be able to edge out the relentless master chef Jurgen during biscuit week. If only FanDuel would allow me to place bets on the winners, I would have lost my life savings by this point.

Why the hype?
So here is the thing about “Euro-grind”: it is consistently better than the vast majority of grindcore made here in North America but often leaves me as a listener left with a feeling of unexcited sameness. Oddly enough both of these qualities derive from the same artistic concept which is a much more strict adherence to grindcore orthodoxy, essentially not fucking around with experimentation that often leaves many of the American projects in the meandering woods of not-well-conceptualized muck.

Razoreater are in many ways a tried-and-true Euro-grind unit: the HM-2’s sear and the velocity rarely dawdles. But of the various Euro-grind units that release albums every year, they do stand out for their pure impact. The stop-start blasts and cymbal catches just hit a little bit harder for some reason and the vocals, normally the least important element in European style grindcore, manage to achieve a level of derangement normally saved drunken Thanksgiving arguments.

Latest Release?
Purgatory, released in September by FHED records. What exactly is a Razoreater though? Is it like someone who eats razors? (That would make sense, right?) And why am I thinking more of a contraption that devours barbed wire as opposed to razors for shaving your face? Hey, you know that thrash band Razor? They fucking rule.