Kyuss - Wretch (1991)^{Release ID: 162}

Kyuss’ debut album is an incredibly generic affair even though it helps set the stage for a new genre of metal. They aren’t really doing anything super unique though, just making the already existent Stoner Rock a bit heavier. Some of the songs have some really fun, groovy riffs and rhythms, namely the first two tracks and the beginning of “The Law.” Unfortunately, “the Law” is a nearly 8-minute track that cannot hold that momentum for even a fraction of it’s runtime.

Therein lies a huge problem here; though it has its moments, every song is overlong and repetitive, and for some reason, usually repeating boring chords as opposed to the riffs that are actually good. The songwriting is very standard, the lyrics suck, and the vocals are annoying. Even if you like “fun” metal, I don’t see this doing too much. Not bad by any means, but not to my taste.

My initial experience with “Wretch” was way back in the early 1990’s. I’d just gotten into their follow-up album “Blues For The Red Sun” & I wanted to hear what Kyuss’ earlier material had to offer. In truth I don’t recall a lot of that experience & going into this revisit I wasn’t entirely sure as to why I hadn’t returned to the album in the decades that had elapsed since. I guess that fact alone gave a strong indication as to why really. Plus the rest of the band’s discography was so strong that anything subpar was always going to be overlooked in favour of a superior product.  

The self-titled Sons Of Kyuss album did very little for me. It suffered from poor production & execution & it didn’t really indicate that the band had anything special to offer. The common feeling seems to be that “Wretch” suffered from similar production problems but I don’t feel they’re as severe. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that the sound is ideal but it’s not unsuitable for this type of music & it gives everything a real live feel so I can deal with it pretty comfortably. The rhythm section gives the songs a solid backbone from which to work off without ever really challenging the listener. I wasn’t a fan of guitarist Josh Homme’s performance on “Sons Of Kyuss” & although he’s a little more convincing here he still had a bit of work to do with regards to technique & overall tightness. The guitar sound is still pretty sloppy but it’s definitely better than the one of “Sons Of Kyuss”. The big improver though is vocalist John Garcia who was really coming into his own by this stage. He showed promise on “Sons Of Kyuss” but this time he commands the listeners attention & is the clear focal point of the band. It’s his performance that draws me to the best moments on the album.  

“Wretch” includes five re-recorded versions of songs that originally featured on the “Sons Of Kyuss” record. I didn’t really get into any of those songs in their initial formats to be honest & “Love Has Passed Me By” & “Katzenjammer” don’t do much more for me on this occasion. The newer versions of “Deadly Kiss” & “Isolation” sound a bit better than the originals but the songs still aren’t quite good enough to keep my interest. “Black Widow” is the real standout from  the older material. It was probably the strongest of the five to begin with but it sounds much better with this production & is one of the better tracks overall. Of the new material “Son Of A Bitch” is an absolute monster & is the clear highlight of the album. John’s vocals are just so bad-ass that I can’t help but to scream along with him. I’ve seen Kyuss live on a number of occasions over the years & I’m disappointed to say that I’ve never seen them play this song because I’m certain it would be an absolute beast in a live environment.  “The Law”, “I’m Not” & “Stage III” are all quite enjoyable too but for every decent track here there is another flatter one like “Big Bikes” or “(Beginning Of What’s About To Happen)/Hwy 74”. There’s nothing too horrible but there’s a distinct lack of consistency across the tracklisting.  

I really like parts of “Wretch”. It clearly shows a band with potential. It just seems like a bit of a clean-out of their older material to me. I think perhaps it might have been wiser to leave the old songs in the past & to hold off on recording a new release until they had a full album worth of fresh material. Overall “Wretch” shows good promise for the future without possessing the consistency to draw the listener back for repeat listens.