Wrathchild America: Climbin' the Walls (1989)

Wrathchild America: Climbin' the Walls (1989)

It saddens me to admit it but there's nothing spectacular about Wrathchild America's début album. That might seem a strange thing to write, but it's because the release is one of a small number of records that connects me to a place and era that really defined me as a person, even though I wasn't aware of it happening at the time.

So, while the album is an important one in my life, I know that in reality it's merely a decent late-80s Metal album with solid drumming, some respectable Iron Maiden moments, and Thrash elements that serve their purpose but never manage to drag the songs out of the mediocre pit.

Despite its failings, and my own sentimental reasons for remembering and every few years rediscovering its limited charms, I still genuinely enjoy Climbin' the Walls as a musical piece. There's a faithful (if uninspired) cover of Pink Floyd's 'Time' on side two, which is what first brought it to my attention a long, long time ago. When last I checked it was available on YouTube, if you're interested in hearing any of it.