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BLIND ILLUSION
Wrath Of The Gods

Hammerheart (2022)
Rating: 7/10

I think the term “cult band” was designed for Californian thrashers Blind Illusion. After all, here was a band that emerged in the late 70s, then released a batch of demos in the early 80s which resulted in an impressive debut (The Sane Asylum) in1988… and then were gone four years later.

Over the years Blind Illusion had numerous line-up changes. In fact, a crazy amount of line-up alterations which saw original members Les Claypool (bass) and David Godfrey (drums, before switching to vocals) go on to Primus and Heathen respectively. The band reformed in 2009 but if you’d blinked you would have missed the underwhelming Demon Master record which featured other original member Marc Biedermann (vocals and guitar) who trudged on nonetheless… and I’m glad he did, because Blind Illusion circa 2022 is a stronger animal.

Okay, so the joys of those early days can never be repeated but with Biedermann being joined by Doug Piercy (Anvil Chorus / ex-Heathen) on guitar, Tony Gears on bass, and Andy Galleon (ex-Death Angel) on drums this was always going to be a solid return to form.

Wrath Of The Gods goes for the throat immediately with opening track ‘Straight As The Crowbar Flies’. It’s fluid, crunchy Bay Area thrash and that’s the theme throughout as the combo effortlessly chugs along with an array of crisp riffs, Galleon’s steady percussion and Biedermann’s rich and fiery pipes. To an extent this isn’t the progressive thrash I was expecting and in a sense the record feels rather safe, but it still thrashes hard nonetheless as the combo shift between comfortable mid-paced grooves and the expected speedier segments, even if for the most part this feels more like a lost 90s thrash metal record.

‘Slow Death’ exhibits the pace I was hoping for, but such haste is few and far between. ‘Amazing Maniacal Monolith’ (included on the CD version as a bonus track) is somewhat of a mid-90s creeping groove; catchy but tepid and hints of an early 90s Mordred vibe. ‘Spaced’ is flashy and funky, again hinting at an early ‘90s Mordred snap, while ‘Lucifers Awakening’ explores groove metal nuances again but with edgier shifts. I applaud the variety but for me it’s only the likes of ‘Protomolecule’ which showcases the dazzling sort of twisting thrash us kids became accustomed to three decades ago.

Now, I’m not saying Blind Illusion should revisit the past, but Wrath Of The Gods is mostly a mid-paced outing that has strong whiffs of the mid-90s, with flecks of Pantera and plenty of Mordred spice. The title track displays plenty of zipping musicianship while splicing together doomier segments, and ‘Behemoth’ boasts a tougher, grittier charge, but then closer ‘No Rest Till Budapest’ (another CD bonus track) is a rather greasy, middle of the road anthemic rocker that borders on the cringe – dude, just leave this sort of stuff to Anvil!

So, the lack of thrash here rings alarm bells, although one gets the sense that Marc Biedermann is doing what he wants and that’s fine. There are some very good songs on offer here but too many are rather formulaic plodders I would have expected from a waning 80s thrash act to have released in 1994.

There is warmness to the production, but in contrast Wrath Of The Gods lacks aggression and zest which suggestions a lack of real hunger and leadership. I’m hoping Blind Illusion doesn’t disappear again and live in the hope that with another album in a year or so may enable Biedermann to find his feet and sound.

Neil Arnold

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