Off to Selkirk in Scotland for a slab of discontent via the descriptively named Razor Sharp Death Blizzard which in my mind brings a vision of a bunch of neds going at each other with all manner of lethal implements. This lot are unlikely to be a bunch of football casuals though as contested by bash the fash songs such as ‘Right Wing Scum’ which make intents fully clear. Raised from bands such as Ridgeback and Swellbellys the mode de attack here to me has more in line with hardcore than punk despite comparisons to the likes of The Exploited and The Dead Kennedy’s, although there are definite nods in that direction too. The particularly good point about Let Them Burn is that it is not all-out war either and there are some slower, mood setting parts here that really help build a brooding sense of atmosphere.

Strangely it’s a not particularly well known Highland favourite instrument the didgeridoo that takes us into the title track before guitars and bass chug in hard as nails and drums beat a heavy tattoo. Vocals snarl and the punch is hefty and aggressive with a melody that wouldn’t be out of place on a mid-era Sepultura number. Having rubbed faces in napalm and set things well and truly on fire they simmer things with a boot laden imprint and stomp around on ‘Christian Sun,’ lowering the velocity but making it just as deadly. ‘There Will Be Blood’ is full of brooding magnificence and the melody and backing vocals here surprisingly remind of recently reactivated Swedes Misery Loves Company, yep this is far from one dimensional and does throw up a fair few surprises along the way rather than going full steam ahead and launching bottles at your head throughout its running time. When they do that though with the rousing cry of “you are gonna get your fucking head kicked in” on ‘Meet Your Maker’ they are pretty proficient at getting you right between the eyes too.

Surprisingly ‘Right Wing Scum’ is quite a mellow affair musically, this is a message put across in a subtle way and vocally there’s a little bit of Ian MacKaye about it and a melody that is reminiscent a touch of Fugazi. There’s some definite US Punk / hardcore influences on ‘Deadman’s Eyes’ and it makes you want to tear round and pogo up in a circle pit like it’s the 80’s all over again. There’s lots of different tempos to be explored over these 9 tracks and it’s obvious that this band take influences from all around the musical cosmos. Punk, hardcore and metal all have hats tipped to here making this a particularly varied listening experience. There’s even a bit of a rumbling stoner groove on last number ‘Have A Nice Day’ that has a Raging Speedhorn vibe about it; I could see this lot getting in the back of the van with them and going down particularly well on tour.

(7.5/10 Pete Woods)

https://www.facebook.com/deathblizzardband

https://razorsharpdeathblizzard.bandcamp.com/album/you-will-burn