Wicked Maraya

Cycles (Mausoleum)
by Joe Hacking

Though originally from America, these guys are #1 on the charts in Germany, ahead of grunge heroes Pearl Jam. After listening to their Mausoleum release, Cycles, it’s not so hard to believe.

There’s an eerie quality to these guys I can’t quite place. Songs like “Jacob’s Dance” and “Another Day” possess a desolate, isolated sound that makes you ask yourself where you’ve heard it before. Kinda like Helloween, kinda like Fates Warning. Maybe Helmet? Their seamlessly heavy sound and vocalist Lou Falco’s gravelly wail defy analysis. That’s all you really need to know.

The rest of the album plays pretty well. Wicked Maraya is another band that is successfully upgrading the mid-eighties sound for the ’90s. “Face the Mirror” and “Alone” had me fondly remembering the days when women wore spandex and David Wayne still sang for Metal Church. Slow and heavy is the story with Wicked Maraya. ‘Nuff said.