Ultra Razzia – Jusqu’Au Bout De La Nuit

Primator Crew/Warthog Speak Records

 

If I had to make a top ten list of favorite bands of the past decade, there’s a good chance Ultra Razzia is on it. The Canadian outfit started off with a fairly brilliant demo in 2017 and have been impressing me ever since! A good indication of this is of course their presence in multiple of my final yearlists, with 2021’s split EP with Russian band Smerch even being my favorite 7” of that year!

 

But with multiple split releases under their belt, you’d almost forget that it’s been nearly five years since the band released its first and only, self-titled LP… until now that is! Because today – the 11th of March, 2023 – marks the release-date of Ultra Razzia’s much anticipated sophomore album “Jusqu’Au Bout De La Nuit” and the anticipation was real, because it’s a real banger from start to finish!

 

Once again released by Primator Crew in Europe, the North American pressing is done by Warthog Speak Records this time around. But unlike the band’s debut album – that also had a different final mix between the two continents – the only difference this time around is the artwork. The two versions look totally different from each other and therefor have a completely dissimilar vibe to them, but one thing is clear – both of them look absolutely stunning!

 

And as you might have noticed from my enthusiasm already, “Jusqu’Au Bout De La Nuit” doesn’t just look superb, it sounds amazing as well! Ultra Razzia is undoubtedly one of the best (Frenh-)Canadian bands currently active if you ask me, and these ten tracks just substantiate my humble opnion by delivering an up-tempo mix of Oi! and punk that is off the frigging wall! Full of dark riffs, a rhythm section that is dropping bombs with absolute precision and fantastic vocals (all lyrics are in French, of course), the Montréalers crank out their best work to date with powerful anthems like “En Perdition”, “Fracassé”, “Au Bout De La Nuit”, “Personne” (no cover) and “La Dernière Bière”.

 

However, my favorite two tracks off the album are “À La Morgue” and “Finir En Enfer”. Both tracks have a real gloom atmosphere to them and though it’s not credited as such, I think it partially has to do with the use of a synthesizer/organ (or just a plain old keyboard, who knows) in these songs. But whatever it is though, it’s brilliant and it makes me want to spin this record over and over again!

 

But enough with all the talk, time to pick this record up because this is most-definitely one of the must-haves of 2023 in my book!