FAC193
Razed In Black "Damaged" review

Review by Jack Alberson

Razed in Black are veterans of the wave of gothic dance music to stir up in the Nineties, who have built a career out of blazing the path that brought together dance music and dark rock. While some of their peers have fallen to the wayside, they have endured and built a rabid following.

Their latest offering, Damaged calls to mind the mood of some of the acts that were big when they were just coming together, like nine inch nails and Machines of Loving Grace, mixed with the high energy of club music. Spahn Ranch’s Athan Maroulis lends his golden voice to "Am I 2 Blame", while tunes like "Share the Poison" and "Misunderstood" are fast driving that resemble KMFDM’s more dance-oriented flirtations. A second disc offers remixes and visual clips that sort of sell the legend that is Razed in Black without dooming the group to a reputation of self-importance (which seems to lead into self-parody).

It’s a solid collection of good music, with enough perks to make it worthwhile for both longtime fans and new listeners. Razed in Black have made a new fan out of me.