Wild Beyond – Wild Beyond
Wild Beyond is a Blackened Thrash Metal trio from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Fast, down-tuned guitars and frenetic rhythms surround harsh vocals, giving this band a heavy, dark, yet still melodic sound. Formed in 2021 after Edward spent much of the pandemic working on ideas, they got their self-titled debut written and recorded and are now unleashing it on the world. Covering a wide array of themes, they give you their thoughts on several topics that are near and dear to their dark, bleeding hearts, so strap in and give this a listen if you want to know what they think.
https://wildbeyond.bandcamp.com/
Band Members:
- Edward Gonet – Vocals/Guitars
- Jimmy Viola – Guitars/Keyboards/Bass
- Evan Madden – Drums
April 14, 2023 – Gates Of Hell Records http://www.gatesofhellrecords.com
Tracklist:
- In The Footsteps Of Mars
- Detonation Of Secret Works
- Frenzied At The Skull
- Arctic Stargate
- Sculpting The Abyss
- Antichrist Coronation
- Radio Burst Dark Origins
- Exit Wounds
This album begins with an explosion of sound. “In The Footsteps Of Mars” immediately gets you to the Thrash part of their music, then the vocals kick in, and you get the Blackened Metal. There are no cleans here, so you don’t get a respite. This is balls-to-the-wall metal, start to finish. The drums are non-stop, always moving, pacing the guitars, and sometimes running away from the riff to take the song to a new height. The bass acts more like a rhythm guitar, handling timekeeping and ensuring the riff is properly supported with all the power it can muster.
A quick count-in leads to blast beats and a ripping riff on “Detonation Of Secret Works.” The tempo is so brutally fast it is easy to get overwhelmed. Wild Beyond likes to throw a lot of notes at you in a short time, but they also know how to go melodic and give you a chance to catch your breath before the next assault on your senses. That melodic tempo lasts until the end of the track, allowing you to reset before “Frenzied At The Skull” again blows your mind with a rapid-fire rhythm guaranteed to wear you out.
The album’s first half is longer songs, averaging about five minutes each. The second half is shorter songs that pack a lot of music into quicker runs. “Sculpting The Abyss” combines fury and heaviness but is still gentler on the soul than “Antichrist Coronation.” These songs are weighty, deep-thought tracks meant to make you question whether you are ready for what comes next. It’s like they are leading you into the Wild Beyond….
I think there are as many actual notes in “Radio Burst Dark Origins” as in the earlier songs that are twice as long. This song packs a hell of a punch, brutalizing your ears from beginning to end. Then, “Exit Wounds” opens with gentle guitars and ethereal keyboard tones, letting you take a quick breather before you start the album again. And you will want to run through this album a few times in quick succession, allowing you to catch the subtle differences in the songs and dig into the lyrics to hear what Wild Beyond wants you to know about them and how they view the world. Get ready; you are in for a dark, twisted ride through their minds.
MZ Ratings:
- Musicianship
- Guitars – 8
- Rhythms – 8
- Vocals – 8
- Songwriting – 8
- Production – 8
- Overall – 8.00
