Let’s just suppose that, in 1994 or so, Helmet wrote some songs.  Also they had a time machine.

They used it to travel a few years further back and coerce the Melvins to write a couple more songs for them. Then they screamed forward to last year and forced Converge to show them how to get that massive sound. Finally, they change their name to Wrong and release those songs on a self-titled LP.

And now, as luck would have it, I get to review these songs for you.

Only the last bit of that is true. Everything else merely ought to be true. Wrong certainly sounds as though my fiction were fact. They have the roar/sing vocals, the monster-punch hardcore guitar esthetic, and the odd off-kilter rhythmic interludes. And without question guitarist Ryan Haft’s production is modern slab-o-concrete heavy.

But it is not pushing any boundaries. If you have heard Helmet, The Melvins and Converge, or any of the myriad bands they have influenced or been influenced by, you have heard Wrong. Of course, metal does not require anyone to push a boundary. You can wear your influences on your sleeves with pride – as long as you fucking mean it. As long as you are not trying to steal thunder, but add to it.

Wrong adds thunder. Their take on the hardcore/sludge sound is emphatic, if not inventive. They don’t mess with breakdowns or noodles, and they don’t pretend to be something they aren’t. No blasts, no doom, no thrash. Just early-to-mid nineties mosh pit simplicity. You could imagine these guys playing shows with Tad, Quicksand or the Rollins Band.

Which is not surprising, as Wrong is composed of members of Kylesa, Capsule and Torche. They know what sound they are aiming for, and they nail it with as much authenticity as you could hope to hear.

In “More Like” the opening track’s drum/vocal break harken to “Oven” by the Melvins. I almost expected the incoherent and troubling belligerence of Buzzo’s warning about Pez to creep in. The next track, “Turn In”, sets the tone for most of the other songs, easily flowing from straight ahead mid-paced rocking to groove laden sludging.

One of the stand outs for me is “Stasis”, a slowish, pulsing and grimy groover that really gets the blood flowing. The band accomplishes a lot with a little overlayed guitar soaring. This is especially apparent in the almost melancholy climax of “Boil”, another throbbing, low tempo crusher. And again, they sound like they mean it.

So, is this a record I would recommend? Yes. But Is it crucial? No. Will I listen to it again? Absolutely. Wrong get what made their influences great, and get what a modern metal fan expects from their sound. Huge, brash, succinct and ugly, and no matter what else happens in metal, there will always be a place for sounds like Wrong.

[Visit the band's website]

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