It was a dawn of a new day, a fresh cracked in the rib cage after being thrown in the mosh pit. The RAZOR crew, just like clock, checked in with a new album, saying goodbye to the mighty 80's and into a new, not so welcoming frontier called the 90's. Still the early 90's had their advantages but as far as the Canadians, I wouldn't bet on it as it started with "Shotgun Justice". The band's lineup changed as Sheepdog was out of the band welcoming the new hard racing, Lemmy meets Joe Cocker, Bob Reid to the front center. With a fresh pair of lungs, the band's sailed into an even harder, pretty much Punkie zone, letting it all out about their life. At times I just wished they would have remembered their past legacy.

First of all the addition of Bob Reid. This guy, even at present, still has that frickin' vigorous nature that in the past revealed the thin line between barking maniac and a friction of melodic intent. However, when it comes to his debut in RAZOR, he sounded more or less static, which after a few songs all was made quite clear. It kept on going and going, all the way the same.

Second, it is RAZOR's musical bash offering. If "Violent Restitution" was a bad as speed racer, "Shotgun Justice" turned to be a bullet train, barely stopping for a quick fix, always on the run. At some point it was exciting, true mosh, brutal kind of Speed Metal, second to none. However, with a tracklist that long, the sense of speed became weary. Carlo, the master behind the guitaring, laid down some awesome notes, some quite inspirational in the field of Thrash Metal that took down even some of the mightiest SLAYER riffs. On the other hand, similar to the speed factor, it became the version of itself, as if the guy had no ideas or naturally went back to the basics of his own creations and remodeled a bit.

Though somewhat coming short in contrast to the magnetic past, there is quite a lot to like about "Shotgun Justice". I was inspired by the band's down to earth themes, even stronger than past albums, the street wise, life on the road, everyday life of the simple working man gone to shit. The face of society at its best. Also there are additional referrals to the band itself, which actually put it out in a simple, wicked kind of way, what went through the members' minds. Furthermore, the unavoidable energy that these guys have live, featured on the extra tracks, achieved more for this album's reissue version. Also there were the album's bone breaking highlights, part of the skull mashing heritage, like "American Luck", "Violence Condone", "Stabbed In The Back", "Burning Bridges", "Brass Knuckles" and "Meaning Of Pain". Though Punk oriented and not always short and sweet, those tasted crashing Thrash at its glory, mastering the pits.

Not all bad, yet not all the good, "Shotgun Justice" is a fine line in a load of albums. Certainly I can't deem it to be one of RAZOR's finest, yet it was threshold to a different version of the band. Within this Relapse Records reissue you would find interesting recordings of some of the songs, with the crown jewels in the image of the live performance. Eat the Metal.