DRAIN — Horror Wrestling (review)

DRAIN — Horror Wrestling album cover Album · 1996 · Alternative Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
Unitron
Horror Wrestling is the debut studio album from alternative metal/grunge band Drain (Known as Drain S.T.H. in the US). In 1996, grunge was already a dying breed. Nirvana was gone, Alice in Chains was on hiatus, while Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and L7 were all trying out other things. While this album was a bit late in the game, don't expect some Nickelback-esque post-grunge, this is dark and gritty grunge metal that sounds straight out of 1992.

Horror Wrestling sounds like a mix of Dirt-era Alice in Chains with some groove metal and maybe throw in a bit of Stone Temple Pilots for taste. Vocalist Maria Sjöholm sounds essentially like a female Layne Staley, without sounding like a total copy. The music is, of course, mostly dark and brooding alternative metal in the same vein of Alice in Chains. However, to make themselves stand out enough on their own, some of the riffing has quite a groovy chug to them, especially in "Crucified", "Klotera", and "Stench", which are probably my favorites. Like their main influence though, the lighter grunge of "Crack the Liar's Smile" is a standout as well, which wouldn't sound too out of place on Jar of Flies.

It's dark, heavy, melodic, and misanthropic, what more could an alternative metal/grunge fan ask for? It might be a little too derivative for some, but the band does enough to still make for an engaging listen. The album does also get a bit monotonous after a while, which is pretty strange for a 44-minute long album. Despite it's weak points however, this should certainly appeal to fans of the already mentioned Alice in Chains and other grunge bands of that ilk. Hope you found this review helpful, feel free to comment!
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