A Wilhelm Scream have turned to the dark side, and it suits them. The Massachusetts punks’ sixth outing, ‘Cheap Heat’ sees them taking on the role of the heel, playing the villain as a foil to the John Cenas of this world, but while they’re taking a step away from the raw personal lyrics which characterised 2022’s ‘Lose Your Delusion’, they also aren’t fully pulling on their metaphorical Luchador masks to write this record in character. The space they’re inhabiting now is that of the brash, proactive truth teller, taking on grifters and egotists with equal aplomb, and they’re having so much fun calling out all their haters that it’s easy to get swept in their righteous energy. For once, an album being very short is a blessing; ‘Cheap Heat’ packs a singular wallop without descending into ranting, and at under thirty minutes it’s the kind of record that’ll knock you down without making it personal.
Dropping three sequential album tracks in advance feels like they’re taking the idea of offering a slice of an album as a taster very literally, but A Wilhelm Scream’s in-your-face attitude is why we long them. ‘Midnight Ghost’ could easily have become shlock or cliche, but their speeding horror track, punctuated with sparky solos, is outrageous and fun in equal measure. Guitar-heavy ‘I Got Tunnel Vision’ takes down hustle culture and narcissism in a bouncy, bladed anti-love song, and for all the grit that ‘Let It Ride’ throws up, there’s a whole tale of brotherhood and optimism embedded deep in the lyrics.
‘The Scumbag Grift’ is when the tables turn. For all their posturing and playing at being bad guys, A Wilhelm Scream are still walking the path of the righteous, taking aim at those who take advantage of others in their furious, bombastic style. There were clues all along though, with even satirical opener ‘Somebody’s Gonna Die’ swiping at overly tough guys with a heck of a singalong chorus and lashings of pit potential. Even the “slowest” track, ‘Poison II’, still clambers through fields of thrash to lyrically confront death and triumph in growling, fiery style. For all the play-acting, A Wilhelm Scream are still resolutely being themselves with the kind of mighty tunes which slam into you at breakneck speed.
“I’ll stand in the fire,” screams Nuno Pereira as ‘Cheap Heat’ fades out, reminding us that while this album might be done, A Wilhelm Scream are absolutely not. The fact that these pioneers of melodic hardcore still seem to blend both halves of their descriptor without compromise over two decades is impressive, and the way they sustain the ferocity of their sound even more so. There’s no compromise, no matter what filter they’re putting over the concept behind the album, and they’re still striking the same blows they’re always aimed for. ‘Cheap Heat’ is a dense slice of hardcore glory from the masters of their art, and long may A Wilhelm Scream continue to shred their way through the world, putting our ears and stamina through the mill with every release.
KATE ALLVEY
