VERSUS: Raging Violence vs. Malicious Intent

Welcome to Versus. The series where we look at two albums in metal history, compare them to each other, and see which one was the better record.

In this edition of Versus, we are pushing the pedal to the metal with the genre of thrash/speed metal. Delivering the heaviness in the fastest, break-neck speed you can think of, while also delivering catchy, gang vocal like choruses and fist pump inducing sections. In one corner, we have a Bay Area band that seems to get overlooked amongst their Bay Area peers. With a debut that would make the band become an underground darling, while also being an early example of not only the speed metal genre, but also have elements of crossover thrash. Their opponents, a Canadian thrash band that many have cited as the pioneers of the Canadian thrash metal scene, part of the "Canadian Big 4" among fellow countrymen Sacrifice, Voivod and Annihilator. Buckle up, cause we're breaking the speed limit in this matchup I'm calling "The Fast and Furious of Thrash".

In this corner, we have Bay Area thrashers Hirax with the band's 1985 debut album Raging Violence. After shredding across California, the band would sign to Metal Blade Records and would release an underrated gem in the speed metal genre. Led by the commanding vocals of Katon W. de Pena, this thirty-minute whirlwind of a record would grab many speed and thrash fans attention, and the respect of their fellow thrash peers.

"Demons - Evil Forces" opens with the commanding and demonic sounding vocals of Pena. Delivering an almost demonic preacher in the performance as the guitar and falsetto highs kick in. Scott Owen's guitar tone is classic 80's thrash sounding and with Gary Monardo's bass, the riff is just heavy sounding in the mix. Drummer John Tabares' double bass flurries throughout the chorus and after, hit hard through the mix between the fast-paced riffing and thumping bass. Pena's vocals juggle between normal clean singing and Judas Priest-esque vocal highs. The drumming into the solo near the close just instantly made me headbang along with every snare strike on Tabares' kit. "Blitzkrieg Air Attack" opens with a driving and heart-pumping opening riff with fist pump inducing snare hits. Going for the throat right off the bat, the song just hits the ground running as Owen really hammers on the speed and intensity. With the matching drumming, it really does show how ahead of the curve the band was with the crossover thrash sound. Owen also delivers a short shred-tastic guitar solo into drum fills by Tabares, then back into the energetic opening riff. Tabares goes full tilt on the closing moments of the song, with pounding double bass and building snare strikes. On "Guardian Protector", we get a new wave of British heavy metal opening riff, with the riff and drums creating a bouncy, groove like sound. Pena belts to the rafters as the song kicks into overdrive at the halfway mark. Into a speedy, high-octane solo by Owen.

"Bombs of Death" starts off with an already heavy opening building riff. Drums are again unrelenting in the speed and pacing. Pena's vocals sound louder in the mix on this track, which makes his voice tower over the music with every high note he hits. I like the slowed down section at the halfway mark. With the palm-muted riff and double bass underneath, before Owen flies all over the fretboard in his guitar solo. The band picks up the pace near the close, showing the band uses the song's runtime with an "all killer-no filler" mindset. The same presence can be felt on "Defeat of Amalek". With a very up-tempo opening, the song is instantly another mosh-pit starter. Monardo's bass delivers a commanding undertone to the main riff and drums. Really giving that oomph and intensity to the main riff and the double bass throughout. Creating a great rhythm section with Tabares during Owen's solo. The album's title track opens with a more midtempo opening riff. The snare's strike instantly make you bang your head along before Hirax slowly puts their foot on the gas as the song intensifies. Pena's vocals have so much power in the delivery, especially when he belts during the chorus. Monardo gets a nice bass lead before the bridge, mixing it up and helping add a darker undertone to the song.

On "Call of The Gods", the bass and guitar syncopate into driving drums. Pena again belts to the rafters as the band tries to match up with his amplitude. Tabares flies all over the kit throughout the song. "Warlords Command" opens again with Tabares's fancy footwork and drum fills as the rest of the band comes in with a thunderous hit. The riff has a nice groove to it which I dig a lot. Then, you really get that crossover sound on the song when the drums and guitars have that bounce in sync together as Pena delivers his vocals with a punk-like attitude that would make Jello Biafra jealous. Owen again shreds like there is no tomorrow with the same high speed and intricacy the genre is known for. Aggressive double bass and thrash-heavy guitars opens "Suicide". Another pit-starting track, the song has such a heavy, call-to-arms feel with the double bass and intense guitar playing. With Pena commanding the troops throughout the organized chaos of the song. I got some Iron Maiden vibes with the opening riff of "Executed". Definitely more punk/hardcore in the song's delivery, with the addition of the speed metal guitars. I could picture this being a Black Flag song with a shredding guitar solo in the middle. I love this high-octane, short runtime, high energy kind of stuff. "The Gauntlet" continues that feeling with Pena all over the place with his vocals. Lower singing in some parts, high wailing vocals and punk-laden snarls throughout. As the band just doesn't take their foot off the gas for any second until it crosses the two-minute runtime. Double bass and tremolo-like guitars opens "Destruction and Terror". Really groove heavy in the opening, with the drums and riff really creating a nice bounce. Almost leaning more towards traditional heavy metal, before again, like Sammy Hagar, Hirax can't drive 55 and speeds up. While also coming back to the main riff again, almost teasing the listener if they are gonna speed up/slow down, end the song or keep going. Owen gets a nice guitar solo and really shreds, making me think he might be a true underrated guitarist in the genre. "Destroy" has a nice bass lead into the drums and guitar joining the party. Before blast beats and guitar strikes match in syncopation as the band really tries to delivers everything on the song. From vocal chants, high-octane instrumentation, and unique mix-ups in the performance. The album closes with the song "Bloodbath", which channels the demonic vocal presence from the opening. Into a heavy as all hell speed metal riff and heart-pounding drums. Pena's vocals deliver that Bruce Dickinson-esque theatrics on this track, with him going for the throat for the band's last hoorah as this thirty-minute sonic speeding ticket of an album comes to a close.

RAZOR discography (top albums) and reviews

Their opponents, are Canadian thrashers Razor with the band's 1986 third album Malicious Intent. Front man Stace "Sheepdog" McLaren would push himself vocally with this record with more intense screaming. Along with the band really nailing down their sound and defining it on this record. Transitioning away from heavy metal to a true juggernaut of a thrash record. How do these thrashers from the Great White North stand up against their Bay Area competitors today?

The album opens with the song "Tear Me To Pieces". Opening with guttural vocal delivery by McLaren, the opening riff comes in hard after the bat-like scream of McLaren. Michael "M-Bro" Embro's drumming leads the charge and pacing with bassist Mike Campagnolo delivering a deep, groovy gurgle to the guitar riff by Dave Carlo. McLaren's gritty, gravelly vocals remind me of Max Cavalera's cadence and vocal performance. The riff's intensity picks up into a heavy, but short guitar solo as McLaren screeches through the heavy and fast riff by Carlo. A nice bass lead by Campagnolo opens "Night Attack". The song has a Motörhead sound to it, especially with the bass being the driving force. Carlo delivers a strong, fast guitar solo before the banshee scream of McLaren picks the song's pacing up into the bridge. A wailing guitar into a heavy high-octane riff and shriek opens "Grindstone". Bass really is present on the song, with some points being very present in the mix. Peaking through during certain slower sections of Carlo's playing. I loved Embro's drum lead into the halfway mark, segueing into another solo by Carlo. All while Embro and Campagnolo keep up the high-intensity of the song.

"Cage The Ragers" opens with a very new wave of British heavy metal sounding riff, with d-beat-like drumming. I was instantly bobbing my head along with the snare throughout the verses. The bat shrieks are prevalent on the chorus, really hammering the impressive vocal range of McLaren. Something we wouldn't see as well-known until Dani Filth would come along. The song is a rager (no pun intended) and a driving track. Especially with the higher mixed cymbal strikes and the wailing guitar solo by Carlo. The album's title track continues the fast-paced ending of the previous song, into a traditional heavy metal riff with reverb-heavy drums. With a riff reminding me of W.A.S.P., before the riff turns thrashy and the drums and vocals kick in. With McLaren delivering a snarly vocal amongst the gang vocals during the song's chorus and shouting of the song's title. On "Rebel Onslaught", the riff and commanding drums start the song off, before the riff becomes even faster and more intricate in speed and pacing. Bass rings through the speakers, almost matching the high-octane playing of the song. A pit-starter of a track, the song is fast-paced and a constant barrage of drum strikes, bass groove and high-shriek vocals. This is my favorite track off the album.

Drum strikes and a building guitar with a banshee shriek opens "A.O.D.". This is another rager of a track. The guitars instantly made me headbang along and the vocal delivery, along with the gang chorus, making it a true gem of the song. Especially with the shrieking vocals of McLaren adding a little gusto to the song, right before he chants "Fuck You" before the solo. A bass lead opens "Challenge The Eagles" with the demanding drum presence right after it. The guitar rings through the verses, while Embro's drumming carries the verses section before the guitar starts to do more heading into the chorus. The band doesn't slow down or give any break for the listener. "Stand Before Kings" opens with a comedic section before the riff kicks the door down with drums and guitar. McLaren delivers his gritty vocals with a bit of snarl and determination in the delivery, before belting out his trademark shriek. Nice, heavy, wailing and fast guitar solo by Carlo, into a banshee shriek and ride bell hits as the song's speed returns to the punk/thrash aesthetic into the closing moments. "High Speed Metal" opens with a really heavy, fast and intricate bass lead, into ear-piercing screams and driving percussion and guitars alongside it. Demonic vocal distortion comes in on the chorus, giving an otherworldly element to the song's acceleration into the driving and fretboard hopping guitar solo. The album closes with "K.M.A.". Cymbal strikes ring out hard in the mix, along with the bass highs popping over the guitar at some points. The bass really does add that low end to the guitar. Simplistic lyrically, the song truly is just almost three minutes of the band going for the jugular in speed, anger, intensity and fury as the album comes to a close.

After taking a second to hit the brakes and top up the gas tank, which band takes the checkered flag in this matchup of speed metal? In my opinion, I would declare Hirax's Raging Violence as the winner of this matchup. It was a good, solid record that did find-tune their sound. That the band would deliver with every song. A lot of the songs were short, but they got in-got out with the playing and performance. Like I mentioned earlier, it really was a great example of a "all killer-no filler" attitude and was executed perfectly. Razor's Malicious Intent was a good record as well, and I was impressed how high McLaren can go with his vocals, but I just felt like it was "ok" in my opinion. There were some strong songs and I can see how impactful the band was as part of the Canadian Big 4, but when it came down to what record would I spin again after I finished, Hirax was the album I would hit replay again. Both bands are true thrash legends, some would say underrated compared to the major thrash acts. Definitely worth checking out both band's discographies. Really deep diving into what each band brought into the genre and the impacts they left behind in their wake.

After the release, the band would go through lineup changes, and would break up in 1989, after touring in support of the band's second album Hate, Fear and Power. The band would reform in 2000 following demand from the fanbase and the band would make new music with The New Age of Terror in 2004 and El Rostro de la Muerte in 2009. Hirax just released their newest EP Faster Than Death, with a new studio album of the same name coming in the near future at time of writing.

Following the release, Razor would face internal conflicts and with the album not being properly promoted by the label in the US, the label would drop the band. Razor would forge ahead and write and release their next album Custom Killing in 1987, completely self-financed and the band leaning incorporating more progressive elements into the band's identifiable sound. Through lineup changes, countless different labels, health issues and a breakup, Razor would rebound and continue to deliver aggressive and high-octane thrash metal. The band would release their ninth studio album Cycle of Contempt in 2022, which was the band's first record in 25 years.

Do you agree with my decision? Who do you think should have won? Cast your vote on the poll below, leave your comments on our social media, and your suggestions who you think should step in the ring next. I’m Justin, your friendly neighborhood metalhead, for This Day in Metal and this has been Versus.