Wratheon – Black Thrash Mass
Band: Wratheon
Title: Black Thrash Mass
Label: Independent
Release date: 26 March 2021
Country: USA
Format reviewed: High-quality Digital Recording
Listening to a metal album for the first time is like opening a sealed surprise box: even if you read which genre it is about, you’ll never know what is like until you open it (=until you listen to it). This EP I’m reviewing today, “Black Thrash Mass” by Wratheon, is labeled as Black/Thrash Metal, and I agree… but there’s much more, believe me. This one-man band has a lot of good things to offer during its 16+ minute duration…
You don’t even need a few seconds to find yourself banging your head, you’ll do it right from the start! “In Seance” is a great opener, it has high speed, catchy riffs, and the vocalist shows off his dark, husky voice roaring from the very beginning. Maybe drums can sound a bit “generic” sometimes, but they set the pace successfully.
There’s no room for breathing too much, as “A Fire Burns” follows quickly and it’s another fast blackened/thrash song but quite surprising in terms of melody and, as in the opener and all along with this EP, with a bass really audible… this is a thing I usually highlight when it happens, for me, it’s very good to hear the bass lines instead of them being buried in the whole sound!
“With Crimson Eyes” is a song of changing tempos, it starts as a slow one and with a low tune but after a few seconds, a faster guitar riff marks the new pace, with the progressive adding of the other instruments… The variations in this song lead us to “Life”, an instrumental piece really melodic, even atmospheric. In the beginning and especially in the second half it’s calmer, it’s beautiful as if it wanted to give the listener some peace before and after the frenzy. The last song, “Unescapable Null”, is the shortest one and with no surprises in it, drumming has similar patterns to the previous songs but it’s still enjoyable, and a smooth melodic line resonates in the background until the end.
Let’s see what the future will bring to Wratheon, this one-man band that remains “mysterious” on purpose (you can’t really find information about it on social media!). Maybe the addition of more band members? A physical release? Time will tell… now, let’s enjoy this EP! 7/10 Sílvia
7/10 Victory is possible
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