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WRAITH
Heed The Warning

Rapid Fire (2018)
Rating: 7/10

The name of the record label might give you an inkling as to what this American act is about. Just a shame then that the Indiana / Chicago troupe couldn’t come up with a more imaginative band name! For what it’s worth though, this particular Wraith could easily fit the bill in supporting a band such as Bonehunter, because the dudes know how to serve up thrash metal with added blackened spikiness.

There’s some truly memorable riffs on this debut outing, a record that impresses from the off with its hostility and genuine 80s feel. No surprise then that Joel Grind (Toxic Holocaust) is behind the mastering for this toxic tumult that is bolstered furthermore by the infectious rust blurts of Matt Sokol.

However, rather than just rehash 80s dynamics, the band has cleverly crafted together elements of punk, touches of speed metal, blasts of Motörhead, dashes of Venom and Bulldozer, sprigs of Teutonic precision, doses of black metal etc. You do know what you’re getting but it’s just so darn filthy and catchy; it’s almost as if Wraith have listened to Slayer’s Show No Mercy (1983), only to find that the stylus was covered in oil.

This is one helluva rugged ride that’s not afraid to pay homage to the metal gods while adding its own youthful coating, and all of these qualities are immediately apparent with the filth and fury of the title track which chugs with metallic intent. Drummer Mike Szymendera’s clearly clogged up with silt as he batters his way through a rhythm that screams of ‘Die By The Sword’, and that oil-slick familiarity remains.

‘Endless Winter’ gallops like a Yeti across the tundra, the vocals a foaming rasp with full blizzard effect while the guitars and bass just scurry through the frost and piles of empty beer cans. Only ‘The Pit’ reaches over the three-minute mark. “These sons of whores our father war, Fire and flame once which we came, Fate decides who lives of die, The pit the judge one simple nudge” roars Matt Sokol as we ready ourselves for another war-torn shred of spiky black thrash. And they come so fast, like blackened flurries of ash.

‘Bastards’ is typically 80s in its design as the lyrics of “Bastards you claim us to be, Destruction is all you will see” are belched with conviction. But with a total duration of just under 20 minutes, one feels as if Heed The Warning is keen to gets its jabs and prods in before leaving us aghast. And yes, it benefits from such a swift attack, meaning that gems such as ‘Fire’ and ‘System Overlord’ are abrupt acts of punishment dished out with the effect of a sweeping yet stern cane across the knuckles.

Fans of Midnight and Joel Grind’s Toxic Holocaust are sure to lap this one up. Even if for the most part the whole thing just refuses to distance itself from those already overused methods, when the party is coming to a close, it might be worth wheeling out this album to kickstart a few weary hearts.

Neil Arnold

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