Gates Of Hell Records - 2023
6/10
Wild Beyond came across my radar as a result of the intriguing album art and my constant consumption of Jimmy Viola involved projects. It’s no surprise, then, that they hail from Philly, being an outfit that identifies itself as blackened thrash metal aligning closer to the black metal side. Simply titled Wild Beyond, there’s a high velocity of pummeling drums and shrieking vocals under a coarse atmosphere. Yet, there is a decent dose of riff orientation that likely gives it the thrash tag.
However, I wouldn’t really say the riffing fits that description too well. There’s a very aggressive amount of distortion and dissonant soundscapes through the frets that combine with the lightest dash of melody, making for a unique touch. I may say this nearly borders on what one thinks when they hear the term “post metal.” In other words, much of the music’s focus is about the feeling curated rather than any melody you might discover. Jarring shifts from the ferocious blackened foundation of blasting drums and faster riffs to whinier, string-bending notes on the forefront should be less than surprising.
What helps Wild Beyond is the loud bass presence, oftentimes shaking up the cloudy foundation. “Frenzied At The Skull” is easily the best track, rumbling in with that high velocity, before slowly placing otherwise isolated drums and more whiney guitars overtop of it. Here and there, riffing that sounds closer to the black/thrash realm will break these long benders of noise walls, which are usually what I look forward to with this; don’t expect them to stick around too long. Unfortunately, I had a tough time getting this to grow on me, as hooks really aren’t the main focus and the niche output didn’t stick the way I’d like it to.
Regardless, Wild Beyond has certainly achieved what they’re clearly going for with this record, it just isn’t really for me. It’s best enjoyed on its own with few distractions, and make sure you have a listening setup where you can feel everything. If nothing else, the bass is not only loud but also has some tremendous kick to it. The brief thirty minute runtime certainly made this a step easier, but I would say this is mostly going to appeal to black metal fans that also have a soft spot for proggy makeup and post rock/metal.
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