After ten years of inactivity, Razorblade finally said their definitive farewell to the stage last year. Alongside their final EP, they also decided to release this collection of singles and remastered versions of older material. The compilation includes singles, B-sides, tracks from various compilations, and several alternative versions. This isn’t a traditional best-of release or a straightforward singles collection, but rather a differently curated retrospective of the band’s career. The material spans their entire active period, from 2002 to 2015. For a modest price, you get a seriously generous amount of music, all wrapped in a beautiful gatefold sleeve—the kind of presentation that Rebellion Records has always excelled at.
The entire collection is brutal, loud, and completely unapologetic. When an amateur gets into a bar fight, he’ll try to hit you with his fists. If he wants to do more damage, he’ll grab a broken bottle. Razorblade, on the other hand, will beat you into the ground with an ashtray while keeping a pipe wrench in the other hand just to make sure you don’t get back up.
To me, Razorblade have always represented the perfect blend of hard-hitting Oi! and metal influences, and that combination is evident throughout this collection. Some tracks lean heavily on melody (Days Of Glory, Made Of Steel, Demolition Man, With Maltese Cross Flags Unfurled, Hart Wie Stahl), while others focus on speed and a harsh vocal delivery that occasionally borders on a battlefield-style proclamation (Warriors, Skinheads On The Dancefloor, Oi! Fucking Oi!). Elsewhere, the band builds songs around rolling, crushing guitar riffs (Wij Zijn In De Stad, Hard Als Staal, Black Flags, New Dawn Rising), and a few tracks push even further into metal territory (Trots & Vrij, Back Once More).
As was always the Razorblade way, the songs alternate between English and Dutch. I never minded that I couldn’t understand a single word of Dutch. The language always fit the band’s atmosphere perfectly and became part of its identity. Razorblade also never shied away from using gang vocals, and there’s plenty of that here as well. On top of that, the entire collection has been remastered, resulting in a powerful, clean, and massive sound that practically demands to be played at maximum volume.
This compilation stands as a monument to everyone who loved the sound, energy, and sheer brutality of Razorblade. Throughout the band’s existence, it was always obvious that Wouter had a soft spot for metal. Yet Razorblade never abandoned their Oi! roots. Instead, they successfully incorporated those influences into a distinctive and instantly recognizable sound, crowned by a rough, unmistakable vocal style that became one of the band’s trademarks.
Maybe that’s exactly why I always loved Razorblade so much. And from the several times I had the chance to see them live, I can say their songs worked just as well on stage as they did on record. Listening to this compilation made me realize how many times over the years I opened a new Razorblade release and how often their records ended up spinning heavily at home. It also brought back memories of weekends with friends, where Razorblade records blended perfectly with beer, bothering the neighbors, and a little bit of harmless delinquency.
Salute the king on his final journey. This is a fitting and well-deserved farewell to one of the most distinctive bands the European Oi! scene has produced over the last two decades.
