The Wrestlers — The Wrestlers Review
The Wrestlers, an Italian Crossover Thrash/Heavy Metal band founded in 2018. On the 7th March 2025, the band unleashed their debut self-titled full-length, “The Wrestlers.” The album released through The Triad Rec.
The First Three Sins, The Summary
The Fourth Sin, Overall Discussion
Invocation: Necrophilic Fury Unleashed
The moment the play button is activated, the introductory hymn, Necrophilic Women erupts with unblemished thrash fury. Traditional heavy metal threads its way through the chaos, declaring the band’s intent with uncompromising clarity.
This opening statement leaves no room for doubt about the band’s intentions.
Descent into Sonic Ordeal
As the listener descends through the remaining nine hymns. A forty-minute sonic ordeal unfurls—each track is crafted to confront the psyche—to shock, to unnerve. This is not mere music; it feels architected to fracture the spirit, to grind resolve into dust. That such ritual devastation emerges from a debut release is staggering. The Wrestlers perform with the precision and fury of a band seasoned by decades, not years—suggesting a lineage forged in shadow, honed in fire.
This first offering feels more like a band releasing their fifth or tenth album.
Genre Roots, Clarity Meets Grit & Sardinian Basement Rituals
Musically, The Wrestlers are firmly rooted in pure thrash metal. Their powerful sound delivers a significant impact. Within their composition, elements of traditional heavy metal, hardcore punk, and black metal are subtly integrated. The vocal delivery, in particular, carries a pronounced black metal character.
The recording and production quality are executed with near-flawless precision. Every nuance of the music is captured with clarity. Yet, a satisfying raw, old-school edge remains. This edge is present throughout the sound and recording
It strikes a deliberate balance. The mix feels intentionally rough, never overly polished. Vocals are positioned slightly forward of the instrumental. Guitars command the mid-range frequencies. The drums are tight and precise, but lack any artificial gloss.
The overall mix feels dry and immediate. It has the visceral impact of blood splattering on concrete. There is no excessive reverb or ambient layering. The sound delivers a direct, unadulterated impact. The atmosphere conjures of Sardinian grit colliding with raw basement fury. It evokes sweat-drenched most pits, rusted amps, and DIY flyers soaked in beer. There’s no mythic grandeur here—just primal invocation.
The recording is loud and compressed. It is unashamedly brick-walled, a sonic choice perfectly suited to the genre’s confrontational spirit.
Instrumental Devilmanship
The devilmanship is tight and sounds remarkably professional. This professional approach underpins a whirlwind of instrumental complexity. The guitars unleash a mid-heavy crunch. There is minimal polish applied. Picture early Slayer combined with the raucous energy of a municipal waste bin. The riffs are rapid, choppy, and relentless. Expect palm-muted gallops, bursts of tremolo picking, and the occasional dive bomb. The guitars unleash… solos are sparse and chaotic. They feel more like spontaneous ritualistic outbursts than technically driven displays.
The bass lines are thick and possess a strong presence. They often mirror the guitar work. At times, however, the bass carves out it own snarling groove. Its tone is gritty, eschewing any clean, polished sound. It sounds like a rusted chain being dragged across rough concrete.
This approach adds considerable weigh, prioritising raw power over pristine clarity.
The drumming is both precise and untamed. The snare hits are dry and punchy. They possess a sharp, punk-like crack. Cymbals are raw and splashy. They are frequently employed to punctuate transitions rather than to create a shimmering wash. Drum fills are concise, sharp, and serve a functional purpose. There is no unnecessary embellishment. The vocals are delivered with a throat-scraped snarl. It is a half-shout, half-bark. There is no attempt at melodicism or clean articulation
Lyrical Contempt and Linguistic Disruption
The lyrics are predominantly in English, though Italian makes a fleeting appearance on Le leggi dell’umanità. This adds a regional authenticity. It provides a moment of linguistic disruption.
The lyrical content is spat with palpable contempt. It frequently veers into grotesque or violent imagery, as seen in tracks like “Necrophilic Woman,” or “Rapist Demon.” This is a deliberate provocation, intended to shock and unnerve.
Final Benediction: Forbidden Fruit of Art
In essence, The Wrestlers is a three-piece outfit creating music that is the forbidden fruit of art. If your preference is for thrash metal that young, ravenous, and possesses the seasoned sound of a band from the eighties, your search ends here. “The Wrestlers” deliver precisely that. This is an unmissable debut.
The Eighth Seal: Gratitude & Departure
As the album reaches its final moments, we offer our gratitude to The Triad Rec for granting us the honour of reviewing The Wrestlers’ debut. Before sealing this sonic crypt, we descend into the final three sins—each one a closing invocation of devilmanship, aesthetic fury, and unrepentant grit.
The Fifth Sin, The Memorabilia
The Sixth Sin, The Artwork
The Seventh Sin, Disrelish
The Wrestlers
Alex Murru — Guitars, Vocals
Simone Mura — Bass
Samuele Oggiano — Drums