### Pissing Razors: Cast down the plague

#### 15/01/10 || InquisitorGeneralis

Do you Like Exhorder? Do you Like Pantera? Do you Like Roots era Sepultura? Is your name Smalley? Do you like your metal injected with a groovy kind of love?

If you have answered yes to any of these questions than you my friend will greatly enjoy “Cast Down the Penis” by Texas’ own Pissing Razors. Also, if your name is Smalley you have package from the “Megadeth Dildo Fanboy of the Month Club” waiting for you back at the Global D office (Sorry for the cheapshot Smalls, get some emoticons ready for today’s update). Pissing Razors are definitely the best groove metal band that never made the big time due to their lateness into entering the game. These gauchos did not start putting out quality stuff until the late 1990s a few years after groove had fallen out of popular favor for total bullshit rap-metal alternarock garbage like Limp Bizkit, Korn, and Disturbed.

The Razors did not make it and never achieved any sort of lasting fame. I was able to see them way back in 2002 at the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival. As a result of an excellent performance there I snagged Live in the Devil’s Triangle. I have finally got my hands on the best of their studio releases, “Cast Down the Plague” and have been diggin’ it ever since. This is groove metal done almost to perfection at some points. The production is excellent and the band is tight. This is not techdeath in the least but these hombres know how to play and the songs feature the expected, and enjoyable, breakdowns and tempo shifts.

“Mass corruption” is a strong opener with thrashy beginning. The guitars are tuned low and the vocals are a nice mix of growling and hardcore yelling. The song has some good tempo changes and finishes with pretty groovy breakdown. “Survival of time” is heavy on the hardcore but still enjoyable, especially during the slower sections. The title track features some excellent drumming by Eddy Garcia who keeps a nice flow going throughout the album but also mixes some solid stop-go machinelike sections too. “Vexed” and “Train of thought” are also highly enjoyable, mid-paced tracks. Lone guitarist Matt Lynch throws a few solos in here and there but Yngwie he is not. However, he does manage to pump out many a decent riff.

Ok, I sucked Tejano cock enough, there are some negatives on here. First is lack of variety. The songs do sound alot alike, even though that common sound is for the most part enjoyable. Only “Away” is a true stinking piece of longhorn steer shit. The clean vocals here are horrible and the song is just slow and boring. Thankfully, beside a few silly spoken parts in a few other songs, this is only time the vocals are completely unmetal. A final negative is the lack of a complete, dominator penis touchdown of a track on here. No one song completely fucks your brain with awesomeness. Whatever the reason, the Razors were able to make a bunch of good tracks but nothing overwhelmingly great.

“Cast Down the Plague” is groove metal with some hardcore and thrash elements mixed in for spice. Enjoyable and worth grabbing if you can, but not awesome… hence the following score.

- Information
- Released: 1999
- Label: Noise Records
- Website: Pissing Razors MySpace
- Band
- Joe Rodriguez: vocals
- Matt Lynch: guitar
- Rick Valles: bass
- Eddy Garcia: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Mass Corruption
- 02. Truth In Disguise
- 03. Survival Of Time
- 04. Cast Down The Plague
- 05. Box Life
- 06. Understand
- 07. Sympathy
- 08. Forever
- 09. Vexed
- 10. Away
- 11. Mistake No. 1
- 12. Reality Of War
- 13. Train Of Thought