Band: WRETCH
Country: USA
Title: Man or Machine
Label: Pure Steel Records
Year: 2019
Style: Heavy Power Metal
Review:
Hot damn, this band was formed back in 1983, and except a period of 12 years between 1991 and 2003, they've been active and kicking during all these years, that's almost 25 years of activity in the underground, one can only respect that; I always wonder what unseen force drives such bands to continue on this path after all these years, and my only plausible answer would be passion, simple as that, ardent passion for Metal, nothing more. This is the band's 4th full-length album to date, a 10 tracks effort lasting for 45 minutes of traditional, melodic, epic Heavy Power Metal the American way with expressive vocals mixed upfront to lead the atmospheres, damn heavy guitar riffs, fantastic layers upon layers of guitar solos (probably the feature I love most about this album, it's tasty guitar solos), a bass line that's out of this World sounding like a bulldozer, and drumming that keeps things steady and energetic. There's even a cover of Judas Priest's Steeler and the last track is hidden, an acoustic version of the title track, a classy touch that made me think of Manowar for some reason. The production on this one if fuckin' killer, I enjoy how everything's mixed and mastered here, and although I'm not a fan of this type of vocal timbre I'm sure fans of Heavy Power Metal will love it; for a band that's almost 25 years in this business to offer such a convincing material it's fantastic.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 8.5/10