Wicked Maraya – Lifetime In Hell Review

Maybe it’s the company I keep or the monitoring of the Internet in a pseudo regular sort of way (ie. Facebook posts and via www.myglobalmind.com,)...

Released by: Mausoleum-MMS / Rising Sun Productions / 80 West Records

Release date: 18 March 2016

Genre: Heavy/True/Power/Speed Metal

Links:  Facebook , wickedmaraya.com

 

Line-up:

Lou Falco – Vocals

John Iadevaio – Bass

Michael Iadevaio – Guitar

Dan Malsch – Guitar

Mike Nack – Drums

 

Track Listing:

01. Sounds of Evil

02. Lifetime in Hell

03. Tomorrow’s Child

04. Crash & Burn

05. Seizure

06. Johnny

07. The Calling

08. The River Runs Black

09. Blackout

10. Fall From Grace

11. Suicidal Dawn

 

Maybe it’s the company I keep or the monitoring of the Internet in a pseudo regular sort of way (ie. Facebook posts and via www.myglobalmind.com,) I have noticed that many bands that made a go of it “back in the day” have lately been trying to make one last grasp at the big brass (or is that metal) ring. There’s nothing wrong with that at the heart, as the fans of those bands get another chance to witness their favorites at least one more time, while those men and women on stage (or studio) try to bring their passion to life again. Some bands are better off keeping what bit of glory they may have had back then because, for one reason or another, that attempt at recapturing what once was just falls flat. Sometimes it’s no other reason than the timing is wrong, the members as they’ve gotten older have lost it, or the audience isn’t there in enough of a capacity to warrant much more than reissues of long out of print music and a handful of reunion shows in their hometown. On the other hand, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that one of these bands can create something new and different after the time apart that draws in an even bigger fan base.

Wicked Maraya hit the scene in 1991, a time not necessarily good for the metal/hard rock world, or at least the beginning of the end of it as a prominent choice of general music consumers. If I’m being honest, I had never heard the name before until the chance to review this album came up. Their latest, Liftetime In Hell, actually dates back to 1991, though it never received a proper major label release. Seeing as I was unfamiliar with their music, I did a little research for this and discovered that this album is a bit heavier than what they would later release, as well as a name change cutting the Wicked off. Whereas they latter had more in common with Fates Warning and Queensryche (late era,) this album is more of an amalgam of Manowar-ish type vocals with music from a more Savatage meets Iced Earth style, which stands to reason as the album is produced by Jeff Morris who worked with both of those bands. Not only is this the complete indpendent release featuring stellar tracks like “Tomorrow’s Child,” “The Calling,” and “Sounds of Evil,” but it also contains two new songs in “Fall From Grace” and “Suicidal Dawn.” Both of the new tracks take the raw heaviness of the album preceding these tracks and add the polish that came to them later. Though you can certainly tell where the old ends and new begins, you definitely hear that it is the same band.

I think this is a really great album. Fans of the band that may have been clamoring for this release should be greatly pleased to finally have it. As for new ears like mine (despite being well worn) are taking in a new aural experience and like what I am hearing. Perhaps nothing groundbreaking or “new” to check out, it still takes a great sound from the much ignored 90’s era metal and updates it to today’s standards. Only time will tell if Wicked Maraya and their release of Lifetime In Hell will capture enough interest to inspire them to stick around longer and create some brand new music for the fans. I hope that is the case, at least.

 

Written by: Chris Martin

 

Ratings: Chris 8/10

 

About Author

 
Categories
News
EXTREME’S UNMATCHED MUSICAL MASTERY AND ELECTRIFYING STAGE PRESENCE: A DEFINING FORCE IN ROCK HISTORY LIVE AT MARS MUSIC HALL, HUNTSVILLE, AL
EXTREME’S UNMATCHED MUSICAL MASTERY AND ELECTRIFYING STAGE PRESENCE: A DEFINING FORCE IN ROCK HISTORY LIVE AT MARS MUSIC HALL, HUNTSVILLE, AL

EXTREME’S UNMATCHED MUSICAL MASTERY AND ELECTRIFYING STAGE PRESENCE: A DEFINING FORCE IN ROCK HISTORY LIVE AT MARS MUSIC HALL, HUNTSVILLE, AL

Photo Credit: Myglobalmind

Imminence - The Black

Chattanooga Chronicles: An Evening of Rock Majesty with Geoff Tate – Live at the Barrelhouse Ballroom

Erik Gronwall Departs Skid Row for Health Recovery; Lzzy Hale from Halestorm to Temporarily Fill In as Lead Singer

The Golden Grass – Life Is Much Stranger Review

Jordan Rudess Teams Up with InsideOutMusic for Solo Album, Releases ‘Embers’ as First Single

RELATED BY

G-TQ58R0YWZE