Bay Area thrash band Blind Illusion is best known for releasing a well-regarded and progressively oriented album back in 1988 that happened to feature Les Claypool and Larry LeLonde of Primus, and then fading away in 1992 for nearly two decades. Despite forming way back in 1978, prior to some of the other heavy hitters of the Bay Area, the sheer number of lineup shifts and instability that led to their 1992 disbandment has likely been the main reason the band name remains lesser known despite the quality of The Sane Asylum. Fast forward to 2009 and original singer/guitarist Mark Biedermann had started trying to bring back Blind Illusion with a new lineup, though gauging by the review site and Internet reaction to 2010’s Demon Master it wasn’t quite in the form long-time listeners were hoping for. That hasn’t kept Biedermann down though and following another EP and some additional lineup shifts the reunion gets another chance in 2022 with Wrath of the Gods. Returning to the progressive leaning thrash and heavy metal of the band’s earlier days, there are still a few lulls, but this remains an exciting comeback.
It’s clear from the beginning of “Straight As the Crowbar Flies” that the thrash itch has struck Blind Illusion once again but there’s still an off-kilter and prog edge to how they deliver that. You get that familiar aggressive, crunchier tone that hits hard, but the rhythms have a more playful and bouncier delivery that makes for some unpredictable transitions as the song progresses. This back and forth is what drew me to Wrath of the Gods initially, as there are plenty of faster and mid-tempo riffs that make you want to bang your head but there’s also a quirkiness to the songwriting that makes it feel different. Sometimes it’s a little more progressively oriented in terms of scope and complexity, while other moments go for galloping heavy metal or even some jamming rock ‘n roll solos to balance out the thrash. Later tracks like “Behemoth” are a great example of everything Blind Illusion can cram into their material, as it starts off with a crunchier thrash tone that gives way to triumphant heavy metal and more chilled out instrumentation that lets some darker atmosphere in. This version of the band features the likes of former Heathen guitarist Doug Piercy and former Death Angel drummer Andy Galeon, and it’s clear they’ve been put to good use and work well with the type of sound Blind Illusion is going for. If you’re listening digitally Wrath of the Gods ends with the sprawling melodies and prog edges of “Lucifer’s Awakening”, while the CD adds two bonus tracks in the form of “Amazing Maniacal Monolith” and “No Rest ‘til Budapest”. The bonus tracks are fun though it’s clear with some of their more rock leaning moments why they were left as such rather than incorporated into the rest of the album. Admittedly despite the strength of many of the songs, I did find that some of them lasted too long and made the album drag even without counting the bonus material. There are a few missteps as well, with “Spaced” coming off as a bit too meandering and hurting the flow of Wrath of the Gods. Yet even with these flaws, there’s something to the rougher edged and almost quirky approach to writing that kept me coming back for another dose of prog-laden thrash regularly.
Biedermann is once again handling all the vocal work on Wrath of the Gods, so if you’ve spent any time with The Sane Asylum or the band’s earlier demos his gruffer singing pitch is sure to sound familiar. He makes a strong first impression on “Straight As the Crowbar Flies”, as there’s a looser and almost playful feel to the way the verses are strung together alongside the grooves of the instrumentals. This is an element that works tom Blind Illusion’s advantage, as there’s plenty of aggression and yelled passages but the singing retains a slightly more lighthearted feel. The more muted singing on “Protomolecule” and parts of “Lucifer’s Awakening” feels like it’s getting overwhelmed by the rest of the band and getting lost in the process, and there are a few other passages like this that dampen the impact. But there are more positives than negatives to the vocal work and a few small tweaks would balance things out better.
If you were disappointed that Blind Illusion’s initial comeback didn’t seem to bear much of its thrash DNA, Wrath of the Gods should help to make up for that. Biedermann has pivoted back towards the prog leaning thrash and heavy metal of his earlier days and has a strong crew of musicians backing him for this version of the band, and that helps significantly. It does drag at points and doesn’t quite reach that same level as The Sane Asylum for me, but out of the other early October releases I’ve been spinning this one has been getting the most airtime. Hopefully this lineup sticks around, as the potential for something even better is there if another album is in the cards. Wrath of the Gods is available from Hammerheart Records.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg