Last Hope For The Wretched
Traitor
•
September 8, 2022
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Metal maniacs, rejoice1 I am proud to present to you: TRAITOR (not to be confused with the German Thrash Metal band of the same name); signed via First Blood Family Records, hailing from the United States of America - performing Speed/Thrash Metal, on their debut full-length studio album entitled: "Last Hope For The Wretched" (released July 8th, 2022). Since formation in 2012; the quartet in question have a demo entitled: "Delaware Destroyers" (released December 30th, 2014), an EP entitled: "Traitor" (released in 2018), a split entitled: "Sacrificial Blood/Traitor" (released September 28th, 2018), and this here debut full-length studio album of which I am introduced to entitled: "Last Hope For The Wretched". 9 tracks ranging around 43:43; TRAITOR arrange an intricately designed formula on some heavy-hitting Speed/Thrash Metal developments.
Opening up with this melodic remedy; rumbling rhythms manifest with rip-roaring twinning shreds, towering with towering artillery from guitarists Greg Lundmark (on rhythm) & Brian Mikus (on lead). Both attribute at a blistering foundation in dexterously dynamic adrenaline, amped up with wildly rushing sharpness that surges with razor-maelstrom tactics which steamroll with piercing revs & volatile synergy within the rampantly rompy "Sintroducer/Take Over". Arming a brimming dose in bulldozing synergy; TRAITOR revel with sulfurous yet slaying grinds, belting a clobbering bombast in harmonic executions as extreme firepower expertise excels with relentless fervor and sonically seamless blitzkrieg. "Zed" soars with catchy crunchiness and euphonic flamboyance, injecting an infectious calamity in flickering bass bludgeoning from Tony Didonato who thumps the rumbling reverb with trembling technicality.
"Baptized In Fire" fabricates a distilled element in implementing chiseling kicks and killer laceration momentum, rummaging with monolithic tempo amongst a hybrid experimentation in compiling rapidly swift nimbleness, while unearthing thrilling yet organic substance that thunders with zealous weaponry. Tremoring rips utilize vehement versatility; while pounding pummelings from hammering drummer Joe Rado smacks the set with steely precision, stompy rambunctiousness & riveting scours of radically wicked tonality, while flexibly fundamental punchiness thuds out sturdy weight to boot. "Why They Fear The Night" showcases Joe's old school synthetics of vocal cords in which roars with throaty raspiness & shouty yells, as bleeding gutturals grumble fiendishly with monstrously meaty patterns of pitched raising screams that shriek with clamorous ability.
"Antietam" salubriously strikes with pile driving pursuits of speedy grooves and profusely robust riffage that ramifies with vigorous rigor, as igniting tears strife with strident pandemonium while ruthless savagery tenaciously swamps speakers with gnarly distortion as high speed steel revolves around a contorted exhilaration that's most moving. Nothing but alarming intensities bruise a barking bellowing and snappy premise on vibrantly potent brutality, immensely berserking with visceral velocity amongst a binding dash in captivating hooks fueling a concretely gritty malformation of thrashy drills in which will wrath your soul with this overwhelming sensation to break chairs over other chairs in a barrage frenzy in beatdown distinction. Very profound with the sound production memorability of the exciting "Drifter", which surely warrants as a crowd-pleasing live flourishing as entitled lyrics: "feel the metal grind, heavy metal nightmare, petrol we dig to find...no more life to spare" has a chanting, fist-pumping rage to it, in which mellifluously makes this one an immediate favorite for that nature.
"Under Attack" assaults eardrums bashfully with more stampeding rampages of slabby solidity; where this spectral raze reveals rebellious thrust, impulsing impact and driving jumpiness that has a buoyant exuberance embedded which makes me think of Bay Area Thrash titans - DEATH ANGEL very well, vocally & instrumentally. Interjecting an 80s feel for the modernized aesthetic...imploding furiously as dominating but motoring voraciousness venomously tyrannizes with virulent headiness, bombarding virtuosity & quintessential songwriting musicality that just strips with triggering transgression with marvelous wreckage which fires all cylinders in a cordial but excellent masquerade of prerogative masterwork that's most steering.
The penultimate banger "Raise The Black" has a blackened fogginess intertwined into it; still sweeping with swarving methods while mystifying shrouds of lightning bolt jolts that forges a frantic but breakneck exaltation in rawly rough avant-garde innovation, crafting a unique slice of some complex but bestial intrigue that will get heads banging in no time. Overall concluding "Last Hope For The Wretched" with the finale epic: "Luxury"; I am compelled to say that TRAITOR delivered a brisk spectacle of listenable Heavy Metal thrashiness, speed killing rifts will roister you to stimulating activation and unleash your inner madman to go diabolically crazy with this one. An enjoyably entertaining discovery should one crave an experience in Heavy Metal manifolds and a lesson in extreme but euphonic aggression that's most relishing, worthy of spinning & replaying a good bunch of times, do check it out!
8 / 10
Excellent
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Last Hope For The Wretched" Track-listing:
1. Sintroducer/Take Over
2. Zed
3. Baptized In Fire
4. Why They Fear The Night
5. Antietam
6. Drifter
7. Under Attack
8. Raise The Black
9. Luxury
Traitor Lineup:
Tony Didonato - Bass
Joe Rado - Drums/Vocals
Brian Mikus - Guitars (Lead)/Vocals
Greg Lundmark - Guitars (Rhythm)/Vocals
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