:: Marshall Law - Razorhead

Marshall Law

Birmingham traditional/power metal outfit Marshall Law have never been the luckiest or most successful act. Having been around for more than two decades and in that time releasing four studio albums, Marshall Law’s true potential has been curbed due to continual line-up changes, a lack of genuine label support and their lack of exposure outside the U.K./Europe circuit on the live front. But after several years away from the scene, founders Andy Pyke (Vocals) and Dave Martin (Guitar) have once again assembled a new line-up of Marshall Law and returned with their fifth album ‘Razorhead’. Despite never being considered as a band that were cutting edge or pushing the envelope in terms of sound and direction, there’s a lot of great tracks to be found within the thirteen tracks that make up ‘Razorhead’. The title track ‘Razorhead’ is easily one of the heaviest and most aggressive tracks that Marshall Law have ever committed to tape, with the song bordering on old school thrash in places. Elsewhere, the melodic aspect of the band’s old sound still manages to rise above their newfound heavier sound in tracks such as the fantastic ‘Premonition’, the slower paced ‘Gods Of Deception’, the stunning ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ and the pounding ‘Hell On Earth’.

On the truly heavy numbers, songs such as ‘Headtrap’, ‘Night Terror’, ‘The Chamber’ and ‘Bloodlines’ are definite stand outs. But despite the strength of the songs mentioned above, ‘Razorhead’ still has one big issue, and that’s its overall running length. Having been completed some two years ago, and having been away from the scene for several years, it comes as no surprise to find that ‘Razorhead’ is one long album, with Marshall Law well and truly making up for lost time. But in making sure there’s plenty of ‘bang for your buck’ for potential buyers, Marshall Law have taken away the shine of some of the killer tracks with the inclusion of a few less than remarkable fillers. Although fading off towards the end, ‘Razorhead’ is a strong comeback release for Marshall Law, and one that’s sure to give the veteran band some long overdue and well deserved recognition.