WRECK-DEFY - CANADA

WRECK-DEFY - HYBRIDIZED
Honestly it is impossible to tell whether this band is still called Wreck-Defy or Wreck-Defy (feat. Chris Poland). Never mind that it's apparently too onerous for the band to type out 'featuring,' which is a whole nine letters, but search anywhere including on the band's Facebook page and the act is… Wreck-Defy (feat. Chris Poland). Odd. Chris Poland is the former Megadeth guitarist and is, er, featured on this demo. It could be worse: the band could be called Aggressor or similar!
The band and album are thrashers, which the first song, cleverly titled How It Ends, makes clear a few seconds in. It is tight, aggressive and pure except for some grungy vocals inserting themselves into the track and mixing awkwardly with the thrashy vocals. Pick A Side has vocals like Bobby Blitz, which is actually not unfamiliar territory for the band's music. Don't Be That Friend rips off Metallica's Kill 'Em All without hesitation.
Whether channeling Exodus, Megadeth or Overkill, the band throws in its own melodic solo (feat. Chris Poland?) and time changes and delivers with enough conviction to validate the entity's existence. The odd grungy vocals, pinch harmonics and riff like the sub-genre's heroes are less than ideal of course, but the bulk of this material is respectable and could easily be recommended to thrash metal fans. This is an independent release, but the production is thick and juicy. - Anna Tergel