UMUR "Wrath of the Gods" is the third full-length studio album by US, San Francisco based thrash metal/hard rock/heavy metal act Blind Illusion. The album was released through Hammerheart Records in October 2022. It´s been 12 years since the release of the bluesy hard rock/heavy metal oriented 2010 comeback album "Demon Master", which took a lot of fans off guard, and although a pretty good quality album in its own right, wasn´t exactly the triumphant comeback that Blind Illusion´s fans had hoped for. The "2018" EP (released in February 2019) showed promise and signs that Blind Illusion were moving toward playing thrash/heavy metal again, but it wasn´t until the release of pre-"Wrath of the Gods" album single "Straight as the Crowbar Flies" in September 2020 that the fans began to feel that magic was in the air again.

So does "Wrath of the Gods" deliver on the promise that the "Straight as the Crowbar Flies" single showed? Yes and more so is the answer to that...with the exception of former Death Angel drummer Andy Galeon who joined in 2020, the remaining members of the band have been together since 2017 and it´s audible that they are now a tight playing unit and they don´t only deliver sharp and heavy thrashy riffs and rhythms, they deliver them with great passion and conviction. The songs are generally well written, intriguing, and effectful, featuring sharp riffs, blistering melodic lead- and harmony guitar work, and the raw yet still melodic inclined vocals of Marc Biedermann. Sure he doesn´t have the most powerful or the most distinct sounding voice, but he is a good example of getting the most out of what you´ve got.

Stylistically Blind Illusion strike a good balance between thrash metal and heavy metal which artists like Megadeth, Death Angel, and Flotsam and Jetsam (and sometimes Testament) also excel in. So the hard-edged parts are always followed up by something a little less harsh and typically more melodic. "Wrath of the Gods" features a well sounding production job, and all instruments and vocals are audible and well balanced in the mix. So upon conclusion this is the "real" comeback release for Blind Illusion, and one can only hope they continue to travel down this road and deliver more high quality releases along the way. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.