Wrath
Regression
5.2
It's not everyday that I'm graced with Portuguese metal. Ok, I've never heard any metal from Portugal before hearing this demo, Regression, from the blackened thrash band Wrath. Since I can't find any info about the band anywhere....on to the album! The production has a garage (quiet, fuzzy) feel to it. No frills, just like the old days when thrash meant Kreator and Sodom and Dark Angel. The guitars are up front, not much bass in sight, and the drums are fast but not overpowering. The musicians are up to par, with frantic riffing over hyper drum beats. A raspy vocal delivery adds a blackened flavor into the mix. While this is a six track demo, only four are actually full-length songs. In "Extracting Fear", string tapping, ala Van Halen's "Eruption", segues into an idea that never fails to start a song off right: a long-winded scream of death! Wrath employ frequent tempo changes and a variety of quality riffs and top it off with a nice solo. My only complaint is something that shows up throughout this demo: the riffs don't transition very well. Individually, they write a lot of killer lines, but they don't tie them together well enough. "Inexorable Harvest" is the strongest song on here, sandwiching a mid-paced Maiden-like solo between blazing verses and face-ripping thrash. "Regression" suffers from the problem mentioned above. There are a few standout riffs, but the song as a whole is lacking in coherence. "Sinister Path" has an eerie synth intro followed by a neat lil' drum roll, then onto the thrash. More of the same speedy verses and slower bridges. The highlight is another remarkable solo at 2:30 in. One odd thing I noticed about Wrath is the lack of any real choruses. Here is another band with potential to garner a following, but they need to bring their A-game. The raw materials are here, but they need stronger songwriting to mold a memorable album. But hey, the album cover features a volcano and lava flow, and fire is always cool.
