This split brings together Ultra Razzia from Montreal, Canada, and Armistice from the Netherlands. Both projects are also connected to a number of other bands in their respective regions. Ultra Razzia came out of the circle around The Prowlers, while Armistice is a project involving people connected to Savage Beat, The Reapers, Day Drinker and Crown Court. We’ve already covered Ultra Razzia in their split with Ain’t Right as well as on their collection of singles. Armistice, on the other hand, is a relatively fresh project that has so far appeared on the compilations Stronger Than Before Vol. 2 and Oi! Ain’t Dead Volume 8 (Chaos In Nederland) and has also released a two-song EP. Each band contributes three songs to this split. The release came out last year through a collaboration between Longshot Music and Primator Crew.

Ultra Razzia have built a distinctive sound over the years and have stuck firmly to it. It’s Oi! punk with a darker undertone, sung in French. This split catches the band in good form, and all three songs work well. Ultra Razzia clearly enjoy doing splits, and with eight bands already sharing releases with them, they’ve built up quite a list. All three songs feature a strong rhythm section and are driven by the band’s distinctive vocals. The dark atmosphere is also reinforced by the French lyrics, which deal poetically with abstract subjects, mixing a personal perspective with darker themes. Ultra Razzia have clearly found their artistic style and are now continuing to refine it.
Their side of the split offers exactly what you’d expect from the band, giving fans of their previous work three more songs that fit comfortably into their discography.

I was curious about Armistice, especially because the project features Ronny, who has been or is involved with Crown Court, Day Drinker, Discharger, Roughed Up, The Reapers and The Trade, and has also passed through Hard Wax. In other words, this guy has already been involved in a fair number of bands and musical projects. Here, he also handles the drums. The other half of the project is Rogier from Savage Beat, making this a two-piece outfit.

Armistice play fairly straightforward Oi! at a slightly faster and more aggressive pace. I hear more of an influence from the streetpunk wave, or perhaps from the early-’80s British punk scene. Every now and then, there’s a bovver-style guitar riff, like the one in You Decide. All three songs share a similar drive and get their message across quickly. Don’t give up, don’t back down, don’t blindly follow and stand your ground. That’s the feeling I get from these three tracks. Armistice have a fairly clearly defined style that works, although nothing here really catches me by surprise. Still, as another addition to the discographies of the people involved, it makes sense.

The combination of these two projects works reasonably well. Ultra Razzia bring their darker and more atmospheric take on Oi! punk, while Armistice go for a more direct and faster approach. Each side has its own character, but both stick to what you would expect from these bands. A split that will mainly appeal to fans of the two groups and the musical circles surrounding them.

TOP TRACKY: Sans Repére, A Traitors Price