THE FUCKING WRATH

The story of THE FUCKING WRATH is an amusing one. It seems the three members — Craig Kasamis ("guitar/guttural onslaught"),Nick Minasian ("bass/visceral ravaging"),and John Crerar ("really heavy drums") — of the Montalvo, California act are not only long time friends, but also lived on the same street and all work in record stores. That bond and love of music has resulted in an agitated beast of an album called "Season of Evil" that is equal parts dirty, old school thrash, MOTÖRHEAD pile driving, and crusty punk rock with the occasional BLACK SABBATH groove thrown in for good measure.

Listening to the opening instrumental (well, aside from some fiendish narration) "Ride the Lighter", one might get the impression that the filthy plod is the work of a stoner/doom band, that is, until "To the Eels" comes charging out of the speakers like a bull in a china shop. That pace continues across these 11 tracks, except for the occasional break for a bestial, bottom feeding crawl, no doubt to allow one to take an herb break before the beatings resume. The trio teases again on the last track as the first couple of minutes of "Old Man and the Sea" slithers along and stinks of bong resin until the band unleashes one final speeding assault. Gnarly, speaker-blowing riffs and the kind of smoke-billowing locomotive bass lines that would make Lemmy proud make results in a sweaty, drunken jam session.

The sound of "Season of Evil" is organic and unclean, as it should be; a polished studio treatment choked with overdubs would completely destroy what the band is trying to convey on the disc. The world could stand a few more bands that play with this kind of honesty and primal sensibility. A better band name could not have been chosen either.