Wraith - Absolute Power

Angry Metal Guy 40

I mentioned in a recent review my penchant for self-released records. This is one thing for debuts but self-released sophomore efforts are a slightly more worrying beast⁠—what was it about the debut that meant this band has not been signed? Still, my review lineup had a fallow week in it and the promo blurb for Wraith peaked my interest with the phrase “blackened speed/thrash metal” with a “punk attitude.” In my head, this translates as something like Skeletonwitch playing The Exploited or Dead Kennedys covers. If this Indiana three-piece could only deliver on my own little fantasy there, I’d be up for that all day. Based on their 2018 debut, Heed the Warning⁠—and its curiously D&D-esque cover art⁠—however, I figured I might be in for a disappointment. That record was apparently described, though I’m not sure by whom, as “no bullshit thrash metal.”

And that’s probably an accurate assessment of Absolute Power too, whether that’s a good thing or not is something we’ll come back to. With the longest of these ten songs clocking in at just three and a half minutes, including a Misfits cover, Wraith are certainly channeling the punk ethos into their pretty straight-up thrash. Indeed at times, including the start of first track “Devil’s Hour,” you could be forgiven for thinking you were actually listening to an out-and-out punk record. At least until the vocals kick in. Guitarist Matt Sokol also handles mic duties and his delivery owes a lot to Cronos, with a nod to something like Deströyer 666.

Devil’s Hour by Wraith

Cronos’ vocals are clearly not the only thing about Venom to have inspired Wraith. Indeed, there is more than a little of Black Metal about Absolute Power, which also borrows liberally from Kill ’em all-era Metallica, as well as Bulldozer. There are a few other… tinges to be found here: there is perhaps a bit of stoner bombast to “Meaningless Planet” and the latter stages of “The Curse,” while “At the Stake,” after some random bells and crackling flames, is all bass-y punk gallop. And none of this is bad. All the component parts are fine, just not fundamentally interesting. There’s nothing here we haven’t heard before and, apart from a few leads from Sokol on “Eyes of the Sacred Ram,” the blackened tag that lured me in is wholly misplaced. On the upside, I suppose, I can say that I genuinely enjoyed the cover of Misfits‘ “Death Comes Ripping,” which closes out the album, even if that is at least in part because I thought the vocals let down the original.

The musicianship on display is solid. Sokol turns out speedy riff after speedy thrash riff, although none of them are particularly memorable. I like the galloping bass from Chris Petkus and Mike Szymendera’s drumming is competent, without doing enough to be singled out for special praise. Production-wise, particularly for a self-release, Wraith sounds pretty good and props should be given for the bass sound, which is punchy and punky throughout. If I were in the mood to be critical, I’d say the vocals are perhaps a little overbearing and the drums sound a touch hollow at times¹ but all in all, it’s fine.

And therein lies the rub, my friends. Wraith don’t do anything exactly wrong on Absolute Power, everything is… well, fine. At just 28 minutes, I think this is the shortest album I’ve reviewed yet and this is definitely the quickest review I’ve scribed during my admittedly-brief stint at AMG—I’ve not even attempted to throw any humor in here.² Even over that very short runtime, Absolute Power simply failed to hold, or indeed get, my attention or interest. Principally, I think this was due to the lack of variation. A track or two from Wraith would probably be good motivation if you’re doing sprints at the gym but, as I resolutely refuse to do those, I can’t see it occurring to me to ever revisit Absolute Power.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 160 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Release
Websites: wraith219.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/wraiththrash
Releases Worldwide: August 16th, 2019

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