Not to be confused with the British glam metal act of the same name (a legal dispute with whom delayed the release of their first album and instigated a change of moniker), Wrathchild America’s roots stretched back the late ‘70s and spent years honing their craft on the pub and club circuit. It was the perfect schooling and rendered the band a diverse, versatile unit, qualities that would characterise their two major label releases for Atlantic Records. Criminally underrated and commanding big bucks online, those two albums were shamefully allowed to go out of print but now get a loving reissue via Cherry Red for some long overdue reappraisal.

Disc One: Climbin’ The Walls

Wrathchild (the American band) seem poised for success; with a ton of good press and their debut album Climbin’ The Walls set for release, it seemed that the world was theirs for the taking. Then came a lawsuit from a minor British band which forced our heroes to change their name to the less snappy “Wrathchild America”, delaying their album and effectively putting their career on hold. So when Climbin’ The Walls finally hit the streets the band had been overtaken by their peers, meaning it wasn’t quite so impactful. That doesn’t make it a bad album, far from it; this is a record bursting at the seams with neat ideas and exists somewhere between trad metal and thrash, a sonic space that gave the band a lot of freedom. The opening (and title track) incorporates a myriad of different styles and tempos, a move which signposted the rest of the album. ‘Hell’s Gates’ is an all out thrasher in the vein of Anthrax, whilst the mid-section of ‘No Deposit, No Return’ is slightly surreal (where the hell did that come from?!) and throws the listener into a hex, but nothing can prepare us for the cover of Pink Floyd’s ‘Time’. Another curveball, the band take this quintessentially English tune and put a decidedly American spin on it. In a case of fortune favouring the brave, it really works and is testament to the band’s pioneering spirit.

You feel that if Climbin’ The Walls had been released when originally recorded the band would now be held in the same regard as Suicidal Tendencies and Whiplash, yet the album’s delay meant the band were always playing catch-up. None of that makes Climbin’ The Walls a bad album, it still sounds fresh and vibrant, and this reissue should elevate its status to a crossover classic.

Disc Two: 3-D

Although Wrathchild America’s sophomore album 3-D was released a mere two years after its predecessor, it sounds as if it has been put in a time machine and sent deep into the future. That exploration found on their debut album has been put into overdrive and finds the band incorporating jazz and progressive rock elements into their musical web. Stylistically, 3-D can draw parallels with Watchtower’s Control And Resistance opus insofar as both confused critics and enchanted fans. 3-D found the band widening their palette to include everything from funk to classical via jazz and reggae. It’s something of a mind scrambler with the band going off on wild tangents. Unlike their debut, there’s no “core” sound to tether things here, everything is thrown into their skillet and when approaching 3-D you should always expect the unexpected. Even within individual songs, things are like shifting sands, meaning that when some talkbox makes an appearance on ‘Desert Grins’, it makes perfect sense. That makes one listen to 3-D never enough; you could spend a whole day picking apart a track such as ‘Pergo’ and still not unravel its mysteries. Some of the credit must go to producer Alex P (Anthrax, M.O.D., Testament) for stitching the album together with a sound that keeps all the disparate elements on an even keel. 3-D is bolstered by two bonus tracks, a cover of Albert Collins’ ‘I Ain’t Drunk, I’m Just Drinking’, an old blues tune that evidences the band’s diverse influences and also a strong sense of humour that was always lurking beneath the surface.

As with Climbin’ The Walls, it feels that 3-D was a victim of timing; released in 1991 when grunge was in the ascendency and the alt-rock revolution was in full flight, the age didn’t seem conducive to the band’s cerebral brand of metal. With the record company and media’s attention elsewhere, Wrathchild America were overlooked when 3-D originally dropped, but with this loving reissue by Cherry Red, it should finally get the credit it deserves.

• Climbin’ The Walls/3-D is released via Cherry Red Records/Dissonance Productions on 24th October 2025.

Track List:

Disc One: Climbin’ The Walls

1. Climbin’ The Walls
2. Hell’s Gates
3. No Deposit, No Return
4. Hernia
5. London After Midnight
6. Candy From A Madman
7. Silent Darkness (Smothered Life)
8. Time
9. Day Of The Thunder

Disc Two: 3-D

1. 3-D Man
2. Spy
3. Gentleman Death
4. Forever Alone
5. Draintime
6. Surrounded By Idiots
7. Desert Grins
8. What’s Your Pleasure?
9. Prego
10. Another Nameless Face
11. //

Bonus Tracks:

12. I Ain’t Drunk, I’m Just Drinking
13. Surrounded By Idiots (Edit)