Wounds pride themselves in playing music in the “2000’s tech death tradition”—whatever that means. My association with 2000’s tech death might just be something different than what these Chicagoans had in mind, as Wounds are quite different from the melodic, fast neoclassical stuff or the hyperactive shred that I associate with tech death from that era. This band is more hardcore inflected, dips into BDM as well as groove metal and sounds, for lack of a better word, more modern. This means that the band is more likely to cater to the listening capabilities of those metalheads whose ears have not been ruined by irony and a high consumption of Yngwie Malmsteen technique tapes—and maybe the reference point is actually the late 2000’s, when tech made an effort to become more palatable. Not that Wounds don’t run a tight ship, though, as there is a lot of technicality on display. There are fast runs, hairpin turns and what a metal guitarist would likely consider extended harmonies and the band does it rather competently, making my head nod during select moments and my foot tap throughout.
Palatable doesn’t necessarily mean memorable and I can’t deny that very little of the material sticks. It could be that the uniform pace or the desire to not do anything too outlandish makes the material appear more uniform than it actually is. By far the most extravagant thing on Ruin is the high vocal layer, which at times sounds a bit shriller than most, but even this is grasping for anything that breaks the mold. I can’t say anything bad about Wounds, but that means ultimately very little when I struggle to highlight what makes the band special rather than just competent. Reviews like these are a frustrating ordeal at times. The competency, groove and general production quality on Ruin is there, but I cannot recommend Wounds over many other acts doing similar things, some of which, like Neurectomy‘s fantastic Overwrought, have been recently released. Overwrought was a strange, at times cheeky album that has not sat right with every reviewer I’ve talked to. Ultimately, I prefer a band like that. One that takes chances; as the only way there can be something to win is if there is a possibility to fail.
