There are two sides when dealing with the label of Crossover: there are those bands of Hardcore that brought their ways into a more Metal outfit (as SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, D. R. I., S. O. D., RATOS DE PORÃO and others), there are Metal bands that brought Hardcore intensity and adrenaline to their works (as NUCLEAR ASSAULT, SACRED REICH and many others). On the ‘Metal side’ of this matter, many good acts are doing fine works today, as MUNICIPAL WASTE, and the Italian quintet URAL, as can be heard on their third album, “Psychoverse”. They’re an Old School Thrash Metal/Crossover act that uses an aggressive and ‘straight to the point’ appeal into their musical work.

The levels of adrenaline reach the skies as they play songs full of energy and hooks, always aligning elements of Thrash Metal and Crossover in an spontaneous and strong way, with good technical work (especially on the guitars, where some arrangements can remind VOIVOD’s works, and with clean melodic appeal on the solos, as can be heard on “Heritage”). This album can be described as a savage and hungry beast, alive and full of a fresh energy that’s hard to resist, but aggressive and with very good melodies as well. The band recorded “Psychoverse” at the Mk2 Recording Studio in Ivrea (the same studio of their previous work (the 2-songs EP “Cyber Requiem”), again under with Davide ‘BrutalDave’ Billia taking care of the recordings. The result is a defined and dry sonority (something usual for Thrash Metal/Crossover acts today), with everything sounding in an understandable way. It could be better (just a bit more of weight would be welcome), but’s a very good work, indeed.

Their musical work is really good, as shown on the 8 songs of “Psychoverse”. But for a first visit on the Thrash Metal/Crossover work of the Turin’s Wolves, the right ones are “Drag Me to the Wolves” (pay attention to the rhythmic shifts and weight of bass guitar and drums), “Heritage” (a technical song with a more melodic refinement, and very good charming arrangements and riffs of the guitars, along with backing vocals strategically set), “Nightmare” (a song with a more melodic orientation in some moments and arrangements, and the ‘zetronian’ vocals are fitting perfectly on the instrumental parts), “Fall of the One World” (this is a song rich in melodies inherited from traditional Heavy Metal), “Uncanny Valley” (this is a true Old School Thrashcore song, but again the melodic inheritance of the band becomes clear), and “Carousel of Hell”. But all of them are addictive.

This third album of the Italian Thrash/Crossover Wolves is really very good, because “Psychoverse” has that live feeling that some bands forget behind. Some forget, but URAL never will forget.