ALBUM REVIEW: The Wrath It Takes – Spill Your Guts

March 23, 2022 Ellis Heasley

The whole blackened hardcore thing normally goes one of two ways. Often it plumbs the very depths of misery, with bands mixing blast beats and breakdowns to gloriously oppressive effect. Every now and then though you get a group who pull a KVELERTAK and deliver a bunch of total ragers better suited to a night of sinking pints than sacrificing goats or whatever it is those other guys get up to in their free time. International hardcore quartet SPILL YOUR GUTS definitely fit in the latter of those two camps, or at least they do on their latest full-length The Wrath It Takes. Their sophomore album is hard and heavy and all those good things, but most of all it’s an absolute blast.

With production handled by Scott Middleton of CANCER BATS, it’s no great surprise that this record is a riot. SPILL YOUR GUTS have a lot in common with Middleton’s now-former band, not least in their wild and raucous abandon. They fly through the ten tracks on offer here, wrapping things up in a lean and sensible 31 minutes. As a producer, Middleton makes them sound great throughout, with crunchy guitars powered along by crisp, propulsive drum work. Vocalist Dima hammers home the blackened aspect in particular, their searing rasp lending the record that classic bracing quality.

As for the tracks themselves, there are no weak offerings on The Wrath It Takes. Opener Die United sets the scene brilliantly, its piercing feedback and rolling toms erupting into blackened blasts and raging riffs. Fourth track Prey On Death is arguably even better, its gang vocal choruses all but ready-made for a raucous live sing-along. It’s not a top-heavy record either, with as much similar quality found in its back half as its first. Sixth track Blood Soaked Wolves provides a more mid-paced but no less hard-hitting deviation from the album’s most full-throttle fare for example, while later tracks Hollow Carcass and Pain Echoes Back both take turns towards the kind of winding riffs you’d normally find MASTODON dealing in.

Of course, the only real criticisms one might level at The Wrath It Takes are both rather common; essentially, this album sounds like much that’s come before, and the band don’t do loads to mix things up either. Neither of those are huge gripes though. Nothing really takes away from the band’s intensity, or their execution, and the urgent runtime leaves little room for boredom.

Ultimately, The Wrath It Takes could well appeal to quite a diverse fanbase within the world of heavy music. While hardly the divided tribes they once were, punks and metalheads alike should find plenty to enjoy here. To be honest that feels like it was kind of the intention. With this record, SPILL YOUR GUTS have delivered a roaring soundtrack to camaraderie, to screaming and moshing along with all your best friends on a beer-soaked and riff-filled night. There are plenty of albums like it, but that doesn’t make it any less fun.

Rating: 8/10