Unitron The unfortunately short-lived Wrathchild America was one of the most creative thrash bands. 3-D in particular shows them with a really unique sound that they should've stuck with instead of changing their name to Souls at Zero and jumping on the groove metal bandwagon.

Anyways, with this album you'll get swing, funk metal, alt metal, and thrash all in one. Spy is the main highlight with a real swing-influenced rhythm section making it sound like a thrash film noir. The instrumental Prego follows the swing suit as well. Surrounded by Idiots is a fun Anthrax-esque track but with a funky twist, while 3-D Man and Gentleman Death are more regular thrashers but done in the unique Wrathchild America style.

If you're looking for some unique thrash that has slipped through the cracks of time, this is it.

UMUR "3-D" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US thrash/heavy metal act Wrathchild America. The album was released through Atlantic Records in January 1991. "3-D" is the last album released under the Wrathchild America monicker before the band changed their name to Souls at Zero and started playing a more groove metal oriented style.

The music on "3-D" pretty much continues the thrash/heavy metal style of "Climbin' the Walls (1989)". No groove metal elements on this album. The humourous approach from the debut album is intact, which songtitles like "Gentleman Death", "Surrounded by Idiots", and "I Ain't Drunk, I'm Just Drinkin'" are a testimony to. They are not silly humourous though just a bunch of happy guys playing music they love, doing it with a gleam in the eye (alright..."I Ain't Drunk, I'm Just Drinkin'" is pretty silly, but it´s still great). There´s an infectious rock´n´roll element that runs through the entire album, and it´s greatly charming. Lead vocalist/bassist Brad Divens delivers his vocals with attitude and passion, but it´s the full band that should be credited for how great the music works. These guys are incredibly well playing and successfully incorporate stylistic elements from other genres than heavy and thrash metal. An example is the swing rhythm in "Spy". One other feature that needs a mention are the many well played guitar solos. Wrathchild America feature two guitarists and they compliment each other perfectly. The tracks are generally vers/chorus structured and therefore instantly recognisable, but Wrathchild America always incorporate sections that go beyond the tried and true vers/chorus formula. A feature in their songwriting that ensures that "3-D" is an album you can return to and always find new details on.

The sound production is organic and suits the music well. It´s both powerful and detailed and takes the many stylistic elements into consideration. That´s an achivement. All in all "3-D" is a diverse, very well played, and quite intriguing heavy/thrash metal album, and while it didn´t exactly provide Wrathchild America with the commercial success that they had hoped for, I think it´s one of the albums from those days that still sounds relevant and fresh. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Climbin' the Walls" is the debut full-length studio album by US thrash/heavy metal act Wrathchild America. The album was released through Atlantic Records in April 1989. While Wrathchild America was officially formed in 1988, the band´s origins date back to the late 70s and through the 80s they were known under band names like Atlantis and Tyrant. Wrathchild America themselves didn´t last long either, as they only released two albums under this monicker before changing their name to Souls at Zero and also changing their style to a more groove metal oriented sound. However no matter what band name they went under, they never achived any noteworthy commercial success. Atlantic Records must initially have believed in them though as they spend money on recording a music video for the title track.

Of course commercial success doesn´t always equal quality and visa versa, and "Climbin' the Walls" may not have been a commercial success for Wrathchild America (or Atlantic Records), but it´s certainly a quality product. The music on the album is a combination of traditional heavy metal and thrash metal but with an occasional blues tinged rock´n´roll feeling. It´s a greatly energetic release that´ll make you smile while you play air guitar to the many great guitar leads on the album or scream you lungs out to the infectious vocal lines. Even though the album is full of energy and sometimes fast playing, this is not very aggressive music. There´s an organic loose feeling to the playing (don´t mistake that for untight playing though because these guys are greatly skilled) and it´s apparent that these guys are having fun and there are some nice humourous lyrics to some of the tracks too. The songwriting is at times rather unconventional, so even though the skeleton of most tracks follow a regular vers/chorus structure, the band always make sure to incorporate a couple of sections that´ll surprise you and keep you on your toes. And as the band are skilled composers too, those sections sound natural and flow well with the rest of the more "regular" vers/chorus sections of the tracks. Wrathchild America are also skilled musicians and they pull off these unconventional (and the more conventional) sections with ease and conviction.

There are 9 tracks on the 43:43 minutes long album, including a cover version of "Time" by Pink Floyd, which Wrathchild America nail in a convincing manner. There´s not a single bad track on the album but highlights include the title track, "No Deposit, No Return", the instrumental "Hernia" and "London After Midnight".

The sound production could have been a bit more powerful, but it´s still a greatly enjoyable production, where you are able to hear all instruments in the mix (including the bass, which is somewhat a rarity on 80s thrash metal albums). Upon conclusion "Climbin' the Walls" is on all parameters a greatly enjoyable release if you enjoy your thrash metal with traditional heavy metal leanings and delivered with great energy and in an uplifting mood. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

Stephen Wrathchild America's second album, "3D", was released in 1991, the late days of thrash movement, but widely ignored and forgotten. The band's musical direction is totally different and original, combining a punky thrash with many elements, from rock and roll, blues, funk, progressive, and even jazz. Some songs do have a commercial touch to be accessible to many new and casual thrash fans. This is an interesting band indeed, but unfortunately, thrash metal to me have to be furious, raging, brutal, and full of anger, and “3D" failed to meet the requirement. That's the essential reason why I dislike this album.

Brad Divens' vocal is quite similar to James Hetfield while Carter/Abbene provides some great solos, thrilling riffs, and even implemented several traditional instruments such as Banjo and Mandolin. My favorite tracks of the album are : "3D Man" with a chugging chops and fun chorus; "Forever Alone", an uptempo track with funky feel; "Desert Grins" with a dynamic tempo and talk-box experimentation; "What's Your Pleasure" with a normal thrash style; and "Parallel" which is their best track with a reggae flavor mix in the middle of the song. Other tracks are okay but some are quite weak including "Gentleman Death" and the single "Surrounded by Idiots".

If this isn't thrash, Wrathchild America is totally fun and interesting, but their diversity is like a backfiring boomerang, and if you're looking for a great thrash album, I doubt "3D" is a good choice, but for a thrash fanatic and completist, Wrathchild America could be a nice addition.