Offering up a steady stream of full lengths, split releases and EP’s since 2016, Wraith have an old school thrash style that is very much a product of their influences. The four member band are clearly standard bearers for early ‘80’s West Coast thrash metal and continue to stay the course on full length number four, “Fueled By Fear” which is their first on the Prosthetic label.
Opening with the instrumental “Asylum”, a very classic thrash metal sound with Slayer’s staccato styled leanings, it lays out Wraith’s stall immediately. The title track is nice and riffy like early ‘80’s Iron Maiden with vocals from Matt Sokol which have a hushed, death metal growl that suits the track although they feel a little restrained. From here, inspiration is a little thin until a spikier edge appears on “Code Red” which has a more urgent vibe and introduces a section of the album that manages to burn more brightly. The gloriously grubby sense of Motörhead hangs heavy over “Ice Cold Bitch” and “Warlord. These are without doubt the album’s highlights. The thick bass intro of the latter leads into a motorised riff that will get moshers salivating. Sokol’s vocals feel on the edge of really cutting loose which I feel would be no bad thing.
The second half of the album wears its’ influences on its’ sleeve. Those legendary tales of the Bay Area’s Ruthie’s Inn where the thrash genre found its’ legs hangs heavy. The sounds of early Metallica, Slayer and Exodus bleed through tracks like the breakneck paced “Merchant of Death” and the punk tinged attack of “Vulture” where the snarled vocals have plenty of venom in their bite and bring to mind Exodus front man Steve “Zetro” Souza. The gang chant, mob chorus of “Truth Decay” is tailor-made for live consumption and feels like it would have been a stronger closing number than the eventual “The Breaking Wheel”.
Solid if perhaps a little uninspiring at times, “Fueled By Fear” walks a well-trodden path and is indeed a little pedestrian on occasion. These are sounds you expect and have heard plenty of times before. The album deviates little from its course but does what it says on the tin. The production has a nice, live feel and one gets the impression that live is where Wraith shine most. Perhaps a few tracks lighter would give it the concentrated punch it deserves; when it kicks off, it does so in style.
(6.5/10 Johnny Zed)
30/06/2024 at 2:55 am
Just can’t handle the “repeat the same words four times” choral passages. I deleted my download halfway through.