Ultra Razzia is an Oi!/punk band from Montreal, so our unintentional wave of Canadian reviews and interviews keeps rolling on. When I eventually apply for political asylum in Canada, I’ll attach a list of this year’s reviews and interviews and fully expect an immediate approval. Last year, the French label Primator Crew released a compilation of Ultra Razzia tracks from 2019–2022. So these aren’t new songs, but previously released material from splits (with Смерч and Dead Hero), a promo flexi, and various compilations (Tribute to Nabat, No Fuss tape, Oi! l’album vol. 2, Montreal Tombe). From what I’ve found, the lineup includes members of The Prowlers, but Ultra Razzia take a different stylistic path than their previous band.
Ultra Razzia describe themselves as dark Oi!/punk — and that label fits 100 %. I’d add a strong dose of inspiration from ‘80s bands and production. All purists who love traditional Oi! and raw punk sound will be in heaven here. The guitars clash like swords in a Conan movie, the bass is massive and roaring upfront, and the whole thing echoes classic French Oi!/punk bands from the ‘80s. All fourteen tracks are in French and they’re all original — except for the covers Ensemble by Paralisis Permanente and Un Autre Jour De Gloire by Nabat.
I’ll admit Ultra Razzia slipped through my fingers a bit in the past, which was definitely a mistake. The only thing I really knew was their total banger Aimes-tu la Vie from the split with Смерч. But this band knows what they’re doing — and there are plenty more hits here. As for the lyrics, I can’t tell you much. The booklet doesn’t include them, and my French stops somewhere around a few shouted lines about blood and violence overheard from other bands, plus the classic “I’m a boy, she’s a girl, our family is fine” — not exactly enough for deeper understanding. There are no lyrics in the booklet, but you do get two posters and a fridge sticker, which is also nice.
Aside from Aimes-tu la Vie, the track that’s been stuck in my head for days is Les Vernies. Its intensity and urgency are the band’s strongest weapons. You’ll also find songs with a slight hardcore edge (Dans La Vapes) and more straightforward punk tracks like Sanglantes Certitudes, which opens the B-side. The bass takes the lead in most songs — and in darker tracks like A.L.R.D.M.M. it becomes the dominant element shaping the entire sound. Tracks like Ensemble, Tordu, Perte Totale, Nos Chemins and others form the backbone of the record — urgent, dark Oi!/punk anthems with shouted gang vocals. I’m a fan of this darker style because it feels more alive and often attracts listeners from adjacent genres that overlap with Oi!.
I’m glad this compilation exists, because it fills in a period of the band’s work I missed — and collecting these releases on vinyl today would be a nightmare, since every fanatic who discovered them upon release is holding onto their copies for dear life. Ultra Razzia are a perfect example of a band that can deliver an old-school sound with fresh energy and a personality of their own. I love putting this record on at night, when it’s cold outside and demons are trying to break down the door of our house.
TOP TRACKS: Les Vernies, Aimes-Tu La Vie, Ensamble
BANDCAMP: https://primatorcrew.bandcamp.com/album/ultra-razzia-collection
