It seems to me that, as of late, a good deal of the underground punk/’core’ scene has migrated to cassette tapes. Why? I don’t know. Maybe because it’s a cheap, seemingly durable, medium; maybe it’s the aesthetic – tapes do look cool; maybe it’s because ‘core’ really wishes that it had a piece of that tape-swapping glory seen back during the birth of bands like Hellhammer or Old Funeral (why I’m mentioning black metal bands and ‘core’ at the same time is beyond me). I don’t know. Either way, Wraiths EP sort of feels right here – like the quality of the medium might actually add grittiness that a band like this needs.
I wish I could say I was a complete fan of ‘core’. I mean, I am a fan of ‘core’ bands like The Agonist, Bleeding Through, and perhaps I lean a bit towards Architects (UK) as well. It’s just that Wraiths doesn’t really aim to mimic as some ‘core’ bands obviously due. Dare I say it; this band actually carries a hint of originality. You’re going to get a heavy dose of more clear-cut, less rumbly, guitars here. Bass and drums don’t honestly stand out, simply doing their job (Well – they just don’t break any ground musically). The vocals, however… man, you are in for a treat.
For every hurt and angry person, Wraiths has a song on this EP. There really isn’t a song I can say doesn’t carry some twinge of adolescent rage. Whoever was in charge of lyrical duties really picked the right singer to convey the message. Songs like ‘Church Burner’ are so clearly aimed at specific groups and people that Wraiths might as well have been shooting point blank. I’m betting there is a legion of people that’ll be spinning in their graves when someone pops in Wraiths EP years from now (well, maybe if they downloaded it).
This is a spit-in-your face release and I mean that well. So much hate and emotion is packed into these (oddly named – with titles like ‘Pyramid Head’) tracks – you’ll be lucky if your old tape deck doesn’t keel over.
