BRAY ROAD
BRAY ROAD "Focused, Fierce, Relentless..."
By Dr. Abner Mality
I've actually been on Bray Road in Walworth County, WI, which wasn't too far from where I used to live. Hate to burst anyone's bubble, but it was a typical rural road in the Midwest, not frightening in the least. It's supposed to be the haunt of the werewolf-like Beast, which I have written about here. Anybody expecting a horror movie road full of derelict houses, dead trees and graveyards will be sorely disappointed.
BRAY ROAD the band has been kicking around Southern Wisconsin for quite a while, but somehow I've missed seeing them. This is my first encounter with their recorded output and though the press describes them as thrash, they hit high speed only occasionally. So much like their namesake, they are not quite as spooky or rabid as you might think. It's chunky, solid heavy metal with occasional thrashy bursts...there are moments of greatness, but on the whole, it's rather unspectacular fare.
The faster these guys go, the better they are. When the track "Possible Violence" hits high gear, that's when BRAY ROAD really rips. "Dark Passenger" also motors along pretty strongly. Much of the rest of the short album is standard grooving metal...enjoyable in the short run, but nothing that lingers in the head. One cool moment comes at the end of "Ride", when drummer Pete Kissane cuts loose with some really neat solo drum work. I've seen this guy live and he can go.
I suspect live is where BRAY ROAD does its best work. This is solid stuff, but could do with a little more hair on its chest.