The band Wrong is assembled from some interesting talent within the Florida metal scene. Most notably, the group includes current and former members of Capsule, Torche, and even Savannah metal act Kylesa. Those names call to mind the idea of saturated sludgy riffs, massive mid-tempo grooves, and psychedelic disorienting melodies. Wrong’s debut album from 2016 definitely evoked these vibes, but it also cranked things up with a massive dose of Helmet worship, with more driving tempos and a greater deal of syncopated stop-start momentum in the riffs, which made for an entertaining head-banging effort. 2 years later, the group is back with their 2nd full-length album, Feel Great, which continues neatly from their first record and delivers another solid collection of metal bangers.
The sound of Feel Great keeps things in familiar territory throughout its runtime: the album opener “Errordome” brings the Helmet influence in full force, relying on a driving 7/4 beat with plenty of chugging staccato chords saturated in low end, complete with reverberating harsh vocals that echo throughout the mix. The song also makes sure to throw in some wild solo work that squeals and howls with intense melodic dissonance like an aural swarm. These basic ideas are permutated throughout the rest of the record, such as on “Pustule,” with its disjointed d-beats and grungy less-staccato riffs that call to mind a heavier version of Quicksand, and “Come Apart Mend” has a driving tempo that’s more reliant on pronounced guitar leads that evokes a similar grungy melancholy. The title track is very slow and methodically paced, as the guitar work is saturated and drawn-out with some interesting constructions to reflect a moodier atmosphere.
The album can get particularly heavy at points, with the most blistering of these tracks being “Crawl Instead.” The track is a short and sweet banger that clocks in at under a minute with plenty of zig-zagging guitar riffs, rapid fire pounding drums, and quite a bit of pick scraping in there that calls to mind the essence of 2000s-era Converge. Another heavy highlight is “Zero Cool,” which emphasizes an off-kilter 6/4 tempo that pummels the listener before backing off into an extended noise break during the back half. This takes the normally noise-influenced tendencies of the band (present in tracks like “Nice Job” and “Upgrade”) and pushes that to its most intense extreme.
The album is heavy jam after heavy jam, but admittedly, even though the album is never really boring and consistently entertains, the music does feel like it repeats itself a bit after a few listens. The record’s attempts to liven things up with noisy breaks and tempo switch-ups tries to go a long way, but it feels like Feel Great loses a bit of steam in spots, especially with the track “Gape.” That song is more of a standard moody head-nodder that flows in one ear and out of the other, so those seeking a revolutionary game-changing experience may find themselves not going back for repeat listens.
Even with that in mind, Feel Great is still a really good collection of tracks from Wrong. The record may not be anything overwhelmingly innovative, but it remains entertaining and a fun-as-hell listen throughout. The record is banger after banger, constantly assaulting the senses with its filthy chugging riffs and harsh grainy atmosphere. Wrong are now 2 for 2 with this record, and with any luck, we’ll get to hear more from them in the future.
Final verdict: stream it. RIYL: Helmet, Torche, Nothing.
Feel Great is available from Relapse Records on CD, vinyl, digital download, and streaming services. Check out Wrong on Facebook and Twitter.
[Note: A copy of the album was provided by Relapse Records for the purpose of this review.]