HEXX – Wrath Of The Reaper

San Francisco’s Hexx wastes zero time in establishing their “new” sound on their fourth full-length Wrath Of The Reaper, a complete sonic departure from the Death Metal stylings of their last release Morbid Reality. Then again, after a recording hiatus of twenty-six years, virtually any material they release would qualify as a “new sound”. The opening track—so critical for a return or relaunch of a band—does everything it is supposed to do. “Macabre Procession of Specters” (one of the best song titles of the year) begins with a martial drum cadence which is overlapped by a stunning horror-house riff that wouldn’t be out of place on a Danzig record.

Follow-up “Screaming Sacrifice” draws the listener in further with a propulsive riff and a catchy chorus profiling vocalist Eddy Vega’s high, gremlin-ish delivery. The music from there on out is an interesting blend of styles, incorporating Thrash, Power and Traditional elements that vary the pace, tone and effect of the material. Of the eleven tracks, there are a few that are standouts, the rest are merely good. “Swimming The Witch” has some excellent atmospheric guitarwork, downtempo “Dark Void of Evil” has Vega alternating a nearly traditional delivery with some of his best screams alongside some of the best soloing on the album. The title cut provides Classic Metal thrills, while apocalyptic thrasher “Circle The Drain” revs the engine up another gear. Wrath Of The Reaper is a solid offering and a welcome return for a band that hopefully won’t wait another quarter century to record again.

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