Razör Forge – Nightfall Hunter [7″ EP]

Artist: Razör Forge
Country: United Kingdom
Label: Self-Released
Formats: 7″ EP
Year: 2024

Although this sort of music is not featured on these pages, it doesn’t mean that we are not fond of a good portion of rough Heavy Metal. On the contrary even, so to reinforce this statement, we are happy to examine this self-released 7” EP by UK-based Razör Forge.

Opening track on the A-side is ‘By The Red Light Of The Nightfall’, a track that revolves around a recurring catchy melody that reminds a bit of something from a The Gates Of Slumber or mid- to later Manilla Road recording. That melody contrasts to the rather sharp edged guitar riffs that breathes a good mid 80’s Speed Metal vibe. Although it improved the more often the EP did its spins, the vocals of guest singer Jan Hirtz (Witching Hour) really detract from the great song. As proven before, Hirtz is not hindered by any talent and his blaring vocals make you wish Jørgen Kirby, the man behind Razör Forge, had handled the vocals himself. He did in fact do so on ‘Heavy Metal Hunter’, which we find on the B-side, and he certainly doesn’t do it without merit. The song originally recorded by Metalucifer, although not very different from the original, comes out fine in this rendition. Although I personally am not a big fan of Metalucifer and generally find it a vastly overrated band, the primal energy of the song fits very well into the musical concept Kirby seems to have in mind. The thing that especially resonates after listening to this cover is the huge step forward Kirby has made vocally. Compared to the first release, the split 7” EP with Chaoshorde from 2022, he sounds a lot more mature without substantially altering the essence of his vocals; he still sounds quite raw but has more of a sense of melody and clearly feels the music better.

Despite the minor criticisms that might be made of both songs on this EP, the positive sentiment mostly lingers. Not only is the music of the kind to be cherished, the almost youthful enthusiasm is infectious and deserving of all support, but the fact that Kirby himself is releasing his own music on a 7” single is something more than deserving of praise.