Blazing with the spirit of classic heavy metal, Razör Forge emerged in 2021 as a powerful force in the underground scene. Spearheaded by guitarist Jørgen, the band draws from the rich legacy of NWOBHM and early thrash, delivering fierce riffs, passionate songwriting, and a deep love for the 7” vinyl format. We caught up with Jørgen to talk about the band’s journey, their international collaborations, and their mission to celebrate and uphold the traditions of true heavy metal.

Interview

TheNwothm: Greetings Razör Forge, I hope you are well? Please can you introduce the band and where you are from?

Razör Forge: Hails! Thank you for doing this interview! I’m Jørgen, guitarist and founding member of Razör Forge. We hail from England, at least I do. On the last EP we had help from a Finnish drummer Oskari (Iron Griffin) and German singer Jan (Witching Hour).

TheNwothm: How did you guys form back in 2021?

Razör Forge: I originally formed the band as a solo project to play raw and true heavy metal. I love collecting old heavy metal 7” records and I wanted to make a few of my own with an original sound but heavily inspired by my influences, more on that later!

TheNwothm: Razör Forge has a killer name—what’s the story behind the band’s formation, and how did you land on that fiery moniker?

Razör Forge: I just wanted something that sounded brazenly metal. I love heavy metal, I am proud to play it and I wanted a name that reflected this. I wanted a name that made you think of glistening metal, sharp and lethal!

TheNwothm: The UK has a deep history with heavy metal so how do your British roots shape the themes or sound you explore in your music?

Razör Forge: Definitely! Many of my favourite bands hail from here – equally many from shores afar. Of course the legends such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motörhead, Venom etc hugely influence me (and I hope all other) metal musicians here. Equally we have amazing underground stuff from Battleaxe to Adorior to all of those cult bands who just did an EP or demo and split up. Many of those inspired my approach with this project. That musky obscure British feeling is something special to me.

TheNwothm: Are there any uniquely British or London-centric cultural elements that sneak into your songwriting or stage presence?

Razör Forge: I think as British people we are maybe a bit more rough around the edges than the more clean-cut American bands. We have a much humbler and more rugged personality as a country and I think this shines in our music when you look at people like Lemmy. For Razör Forge specifically, I like to think we are connected to these great bands, hanging out in the very venues they played back in the day.

TheNwothm: If you could describe Razör Forge’s sound in terms of three legendary bands or artists that inspired you, who would they be?

Razör Forge: Iron Maiden, the greatest band of all time. Nifelheim, the most evil band of all time. Finally Kreator, whose early works perfectly combine the evil and extreme with the traditional elements I love so much.

TheNwothm: Your split release with Chaoshorde back in 2022 made quite a mark. Looking back, what does that project represent for you as a band starting out?

Razör Forge: For us it was a really cool first step. The first song “Profane Savage” was a very DIY effort with everything played and produced by myself (hence it being very rough around the edges). Chaoshorde are really killer guys with a great band and Vicious Witch Records were really cool to put our first effort on a 7” vinyl. As I mentioned this format is very special to me as a collector, so it worked out gloriously. I’m really grateful to everyone involved in making our first step such a brilliant one.

TheNwothm: “Nightfall Hunter” has this epic blend of classic heavy metal influences! What was the atmosphere like recording this EP independently, and how did the collaboration with Jan and Oskari come together?

Razör Forge: It was really cool working with these guys, I am a big fan of their own bands; Witching Hour and Iron Griffin. Basically I recorded the guitar and bass parts and then asked Oskari to drum to them (as he did with another band we have together called Dungeon Shaker). Jan then added his distinctive howls and Sascha from Witching Hour kindly mixed it. Technology makes recording with musicians I highly respect but live nowhere near an easy feat, and while I condemn many aspects of it, this is not one of them. Huge thanks to those people for being a part of it.

TheNwothm: The cover of Metalucifer’s “Heavy Metal Hunter” is a standout on your 7” release. What drew you to this track, and what was your approach in making it your own?

Razör Forge: Metalucifer embodies that shameless love for heavy metal that is essential for a band like us. As a huge fan of their music and approach, it felt a natural choice. “Heavy Metal Hunter” is more or less a song including many references to my favourite bands while vaguely depicting a record collector (Neal Tanaka) which is a relatable topic. It just felt right in every way to be the b-side. As a side note, I found out recently that Neal Tanaka purchased the 7” vinyl from Rock Stakk Records in Japan who I sent some copies to. Gezol also approved of it!

TheNwothm: What songs are your favourites to play live?

Razör Forge: Razör Forge is not a live band, due to our spread out geography and me only wanting to play live with Sataniak currently. Maybe one day this will change, but currently the closest you will get is seeing Sataniak live!

TheNwothm: If you could invite any heavy metal legend, past or present, to a band rehearsal or jam session, who would you pick and why?

Razör Forge: I would truly love to have jammed with Ragne from Heavy Load. Not only is their band one of my favourites of all time, but having met him twice, he was a truly wonderful person. A luminous musical spirit who had so much wisdom from songwriting to recording and production to just being an outstanding guy. His loss hit pretty hard for many of us and I think a couple hours of jamming with him could make me one million times the musician I am now.

TheNwothm: The heavy metal scene is vast and varied so what’s your take on the underground metal movement today, and how do you see Razör Forge fitting into it?

Razör Forge: I think it’s great! Of course the 80s had many of the best bands of all time, but you know what? Hearing bands like Vultures Vengeance or Century or Tyrann in the heavy metal world, I am happy to be a part of it today and keep those old traditions going strong! We can lament not being part of the early days, or we can celebrate the honour of keeping this wonderful music from dying out!

TheNwothm: With so many bands blending genres, what’s one thing you wish the heavy metal scene never loses, no matter how trends change?

Razör Forge: Heavy metal! Whether I am listening to heavy, black, speed, thrash, death, doom or whatever metal; it still has to sound heavy metal. I can hear Iron Maiden in Nifelheim for example. What I do not get is a lot of this stuff that is so atmospheric or progressive or whatever that it loses the metal at the heart of it. This doesn’t work for me.

TheNwothm: Thinking ahead, what is next musically for the band? Are you working on any new music?

Razör Forge: I am slowly writing new music. As much as I love doing 7” vinyl like the first two releases, it is an extremely difficult format to work with so perhaps a mini-LP or something will be next, but it’s too early to tell for sure.

TheNwothm: And where will you be touring this year? Any notable shows booked or festivals lined up?

Razör Forge: Only with Sataniak! We are playing with Bütcher, our good friends from Belgium!

TheNwothm: How can our readers buy your music and merch?

Razör Forge: We have 7” vinyl for both releases along with a tape that combines both as a compilation plus a bonus Manilla Road cover! Vicious Witch Records still has some shirts too! Also if you’re based outside of the UK, plenty of distros have our vinyl so look around!

TheNwothm: Where can fans follow you online?

Razör Forge: We have a Bandcamp and Facebook page!

Bandcamp: https://razorforge.bandcamp.com/album/nightfall-hunter 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/razorforge

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7f8eixpPv7UOMXt244PqKC

TheNwothm: Anything else you would like to mention?

Razör Forge: Thank you for writing to me! And thank you to those reading this interview! Keep true heavy metal alive, keep supporting the underground and let passion conquer all!