Wretch – Wretch

Last Updated on 07:22 PM by Nikos Nakos

Genre: Heavy/Doom
Country: U.S.A.
Label: Bad Omen Records
Year: 2016

In a genre that attempted suicide again and again by staying committed to cliché and pursuits that had nothing to do with music (hype, toupees, hipsterism), this debut is like manna from heaven. Of course Wretch are not just a random band since their founder, Karl Simon, was originally known from a great band, The Gates of Slumber, that unfortunately broke up after their bass player, Jason McCash, died from heroin overdose in 2014. The name Wretch is not random either as it came from the name of The Gate Of Slumber’s last album (2011 from Rise Above label).

Seven songs, two instrumental songs included, with a combined duration of 35 minutes, that are able to take us to a trip without becoming boring, despite their heavy and full of distortion sound. Early Sabbath and Saint Vitus influences in a medley of ideas and endless guitars while they manage to stay away from “blabbering”. The only exception to that is their epic, eight-minute-long, “Icebound”, though its total quality justifies its length. The main characteristic of their compositions is that they “breathe” between their relatively, for the doom genre, short duration and they don’t “stretch” a song just for the heck of it.

Another plus is their exceptional cover from the catalan Branca Studio.

4,5/6