Band: Onheil
Title: Razor
Label: Cyclone Empire
Distribution: Sure Shot Worx
Release date: 15/05/2009
Review: CD

Onheil are a Dutch band that started at the end of last century. The demo-CDs Sterf (die) (2000) and We Hebben De Hel Gezien (we’ve seen Hell) (2002), as well as their first official release, the 2003-MCD The Threat (War Cry Productions), were received very positively in especially Belgium and The Netherlands, yet the band did also perform with bands as Vader, The Monolith Deathcult, Mayhem and Hail Of Bullets, to name but a few.
After a break (read: re-orientation), some remaining members (Terger and Sadist) started co-operating with members of the Dutch band Martyr (Amok, Haat and Nomiis), so the ‘new’ Onheil was born.
A new promo-CD drew attention of a few interesting labels, and finally, last year, Onheil signed to Cyclone Empire (Germany) for the release of the first ‘official’ full length (the second demo, We Hebben De Hel Gezien, could be considered a full length with its duration of more than fifty three minutes).
Razor is another step within Onheil’s history. It doesn’t mean the band’s style has changed; it does mean that the compositions are the most mature to date. The sound is raw and unpolished and fits well to the grim and ominous atmosphere of the tracks. These tracks are rather old school inspired with a thrashy edge, which goes well with the variation in tempo and melody. The coldness and grimness covers the whole within a somewhat ‘Nordic’ mist, yet the subtle undertone of life-anger leads my thoughts towards the deadly hordes from the Low Lands (Belgium + Holland) too from time to time.
In the earlier years, by the way, the band was sometimes defined as some ‘Black Metal Iron Maiden’, but except for some riffs and solos, there are no clear comparisons to Iron Maiden (anymore).

88/100

Ivan Tibos.