Review Summary: The quintessential example of the phrase: ''Don't judge a book by its cover''.
2017, in addition to giving us quality, superb works, it has also been the comeback year. Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters made an unexpected and incredible return to music with the extraordinary
Is This the Life We Really Want?, and so did Kinks’ frontman Ray Davies, Styx and Accept. British hard rock veterans Wraith weren’t exempt from this. This is another of those old-school heavy bands that can be either well known or quite unknown to you, depending on the situation. They’ve been making music since the early 90s, and they’ve had the support of spectacular musicians of the caliber of UFO’s bassist Pete Way (who plays bass on ''Under the Hammer'') and even the legendary Mr. Lemmy Kilmister (RIP) gave them the go-ahead when they released their debut
Danger Calling.
Unfortunately, they didn’t have much commercial impact back then, largely perhaps because they arrived at the scene a little late, releasing their studio debut in 1992. The 90s are partially known as an epoch where several 80s big names went through a crisis; many bands tried to jump the groove metal or grunge trains, the scene was being invaded with albums like Metallica’s
Load and
Reload or Helloween’s
Chameleon and some bands changed their iconic vocalists from one day to another (Judas Priest, Iron Maiden). It’s in this context where Wraith went on a long, 10-year hiatus. It wasn’t until 2007 when the band returned to the stage with
Evolution before taking another long break. Now in 2017, with the release of
Revelation, both old and new fans may begin to wonder if they have to wait another ten years for a follow up album.
A look at the apocalyptic, hellish cover art may warn the listener to prepare for a smashing and chaotic record infested of dark, mean riffs and an inhuman rhythm section. However that’s far from reality. While this album is hard and heavy on the surface, Wraith combines the NWOBHM sound with 80s American melodic hard rock/glam metal in order to capture both the adrenaline and energetic side of their old-school British colleagues and the sleazy, partying vibe of their hairy influences. Even though this sort of combination may give a ''water and oil'' feel for some, the glam/hard rock tinges don’t sound out of place or offensively bad, since Wraith has a good melodic sense and the group really know how to balance the levels of cheese in their songs. You have your typical fast, in-your-face heavy rockers (''Humanhater''), your pop-metal mid-tempos (''Into the Fire'', ''Dreamstealer''), and your power-ballad (''Leaving Me Again''; they really couldn’t avoid that 80s cliché, but that’s an evil we all have to cope with in case you’re a classic metal listener), but overall the guitars are very prominent in the mix, there aren’t any painful attempts to incorporate modern arrangements to the sound and the production is very polished without making the album sound sterile or flat. In short, there’s the required amount of heaviness and melodies to make this an enjoyable record.
The overall feeling this album gives to the listener is one of ''I’ve heard all this before''.
Revelation is a mainly recommended album for those who’re still loyal to the 80s hairspray scene and especially fans of Ratt, since Ryan Coggins’ vocals are strongly reminiscent of Stephen Pearcy, as well as the pop hooks and the upbeat, catchy riffs make you remember the Californian band. Although songs like ''No Respect'' or the opener ''Lifeline'' capture the NWOBHM essence excellently and may occasionally bring to mind a smoother, modern version of early-80s Judas Priest or Krokus, Wraith’s influences are clearly more in the vein of Ratt, Def Leppard, Motley Crue or Scorpions’ most commercial moments. However, the group doesn’t forget to bring up great doses of energy and attitude even in the lightest numbers; ''Dream Stealer'' and ''Into the Fire'' are two well-crafted throwbacks to the sound of Scorpions’
Savage Amusement, with the band making use of the typical pop metal, almost danceable structures, while ''Under the Hammer'', the corny ballad ''Leaving Me Again'' and the closing ''Hunted'' owe so much to the poppiest, softest moments of Def Leppard’s
Hysteria or
Adrenalize. Hair metal is essentially, in many ways, party metal, and fortunately
Revelation works pretty decently on that level, as the band doesn’t take itself too seriously but neither ends up crossing the thin line between fun and dorkiness unlike other glam tribute acts.
Needless to say, Wraith’s comeback effort is simply good party music, and undoubtedly a suitable purchase for those who really like to take 80s nostalgic trips and consume these unpretentious hard rock revival acts, as its addictive riffs, good melodies and energy make this release worthy of at least a couple of listens to pass the time. Buy a comfortable chair for another 10-year wait in case you become a fan, though.
