Pissing Razors

Evolution (Spitfire)
by Martin Popoff

New vocalist in Andre Acosta, and the long-suffering and relentless Pissing Razors are off and running on their fifth studio album. First thing I must say is that the production, by the band’s drummer Eddy Garcia, is modest, turning the band into more of an underground, hardcore-ish act versus the steely Pantera panoramas of the records previous. Oddly, it’s the drums that sound compromised, while the guitars are a little muddy as well. Acosta is a versatile vocalist, spanning nü metal/Sevendust croons through a Fear Factory bellow through pure (Swedish) death. There’s even hardcore, stoner rock… even a bit of Dani on “Takedown.”

Musically, the band’s sound remains hard to categorize (Superjoint crossed with The More Things Change…-era Machine Head?), given its versatility, but also vaguely similar to too many other bands, or more accurately, a blended, undistinguished part of a pack. And right in the middle of it. Weird, but any one of these songs on their own and you think killer, superstars, heroes. But put too many together, and you come away tired.
(22 W. 38th Street, 7th Fl. New York, NY 10018)