#341 WRATHCHILD AMERICA - Climbin' The Walls

“He’s looking at me…”

Released on August 22, 1989, CLIMBIN’ THE WALLS, the major label debut album from Martinsburg, West Virginia thrash metal savants WRATHCHILD AMERICA, is undoubtedly one of the most uniquely profound thrash metal albums in all of heavy metal history to be crafted by one of the most extraordinarily talented (and criminally underrated) bands in the entire genre.

And to think, for many metalheads back in the day, their very first experience with this album was in a LIVE concert setting, opening for Testament. Just imagine how blessed one would be to see a band as unbelievable as WRATHCHILD AMERICA (for the very first time) opening for an established act like Testament and being completely blown away after just one show, having NEVER heard the album before getting to see them LIVE!

“He’s making eye contact…”

With a stylistic palette that blends thrash, heavy metal, and 70’s classic rock, there is absolutely NO ONE else in metal who sounds ANYTHING like them. And if you’re jonesing to purchase a copy of CLIMBIN’ THE WALLS, not to worry, because it was recently re-released (along with their second and final album, 3-D) as part of a two-CD package with a couple of bonus tracks.

“Is he still lookin’ at you?”

Get ready for a trip back through time to the days of yore, when thrash was still riding high and the opening band for Testament absolutely blew the minds of everyone in attendance when you JOIN US for one of the greatest and most underrated metal albums of all time with WRATHCHILD AMERICA: CLIMBIN’ THE WALLS.

(Also, just in case you might be wondering, there’s an early (we’re talking “6 years ago, during the Hodges Era” early: 02/20/2020) episode appropriately dubbed WRATHSAZ, which is a combo episode featuring both WRATHCHILD AMERICA and the darker, groovier, heavier incarnation that followed, Souls At Zero.)

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Show Notes:

(00:01): “See? That’s how much Bill loves #KISS…let the record show…”/ Gene Simmons vs King Diamond makeup confusion lawsuit / “Dwarf butt shot…it’s the gnome butt shot…”/

***WARNING: #listenerdiscretionisadvised ***/ “Nothing that can’t be fixed with a razor…that was the tipping point of that episode…”/ ***WELCOME BACK TO THE METAL NERDERY PODCAST!!!***/ “Just like the thunder, (weather) used to be real in the 80’s…”/

“I was on my boat Friday, enjoying the beautiful weather…and today, I’m wearing a hoodie…”/ “Y’all are here for the metal…Metal Bitchery that’ll be our side podcast where it’s just me being angry…about everything…”/ #lifecoaching / “It could be the lack of poon…” (“Me and Wristina were still hanging out…”)

(05:12): Check out our new “pop punk” side project: Bad Shoulder / #SmogMountain /

***PATREON US at patreon.com/metalnerderypodcast *** / ***EMAIL US (your #shittah) at metalnerdery@gmail.com and WE’LL PLAY YOUR SHITTAH!!!*** /

“Here’s the fuzz…” #Erosions HOME GROWN / #AwwwMannnn / “I was gonna use the R word…(retarded?)”/ “In the spirit of this…I thought they were Hong Bong…”/ “You’ve gotta watch the video…”/ #BongKong WEIRDMAGEDDON / “The bass player is trippin’ balls!” /

“They’re from Portugal…I’ll bet they probably fly one of two airlines…”

(14:54): ***SOCIAL MEDIA US at #metalnerderypodcast on #YouTube #Instagram #TikTok and #Facebook / ***EMAIL US at metalnerdery@gmail.com / ***GIVE US A CALL AND VOICEMAIL US AT 980-666-8182!!!*** / Johnny O… / “I like my coffee like I like my Sabbath…Black.” / “They weren’t pieces of Shittah…they were portraits of Shittah (“It’s very #OlanMills - ish…”) / “So natural and uncomfortable…”/ “Sorry, I blew in your ear…my sticker pecked out…”/ “Hold on, let’s play some new Metal Church…”/ “I was listening to Metal Church by Metal Church on Metal Church yesterday…in fairness, THAT should have been the opener…for the album.”/ #MetalChurch BRAINWASH GAME / F.A.F.O. (Dead To Rights – April 10, 2026) / “Fuck anus, find orgasm…” / #ThrashFamilyTree / “I’m glad they’re remembering the fun…”/ “It sounds like Metal Church…go check out the #InsideTheMetal of that…” / #KeepItThrashy

(23:55): #TheDocket METAL NERDERY PODCAST PRESENTS: WRATHCHILD AMERICA – CLIMBIN’ THE WALLS / ***Check out our #WrathSAZ episode from way, WAY back!!!***/ “I think that one got way more exposure than 3-D…”/ #WrathchildAmerica / #MikeTysonASMR / “I didn’t buy it until I saw them with #Testament…” (NOTE: Bill and Russ saw them LIVE before ever hearing the album) / “We’re doing that next…”/ Released August 22, 1989 / “I didn’t cup it…” / ***Re-released along with 3-D (2-CD set…with bonus tracks) recently on Cherry Red Records / “BTW, if you’re a #Godsmack fan or an #UglyKidJoe fan…”

“They had that one song, right?”

(29:55): CLIMBIN’ THE WALLS / “It’s kinda power metal-y a little bit…”/ “It’s just throat box noises…Brad Divens always had articulate, clear, up-front vocals…”/ “(Groove metal) was the natural evolution from thrash…”/ “That’s it! Your ‘cut time’ is your groove metal…”/

“They formed in the late 70’s…1978…”/ “We’re doing the whole dive, bro…”

(35:32): HELL’S GATE / “Take your pants down…”/ “There was an Orion moment there…I heard influences…”/ “How can you not be influenced by what you like?”/

NO DEPOSIT, NO RETURN / “I think this is about sex…maybe.” / “When she went ‘hawk-tuah…” / “He’s looking at me…he’s making eye contact…” / “I hear influences…this album has a weird 70’s feel to it…” / “When I’m listening to it, it puts me right back at the concert…”/ “I would have not known who they were without them opening for Testament…”/ ***Is anyone familiar with Baroness’ “Purple” album?*** / “All that to say…with opening bands…”/ Reflecting on Wrathchild America opening for Testament and Pantera / #tittape (“Don’t you tell anybody…”)

(44:49): HERNIA / “If you gave that a different mix, it would be a thrashier album…”

“It (the mix) makes it sound like early Maiden…”/ “When they go to the woods for the weekend, they take vampire jerky…”/ LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT / A moment of #TypeONegative ‘vamping’ that totally matches with the music…/ “That reminds me of #Venom so much…”/ “That might be the most gayest thing I’ve ever heard in metal but it’s still pretty awesome…”/ “You’ve gotta remember, this was ’88…you didn’t have virgin boys on black stallions though…”

(53:23): Side 2 Killer Opener / CANDY FROM A MADMAN / “Here we go…”/ “That fucker is looking at me! He’s got a lazy eye…” / “That’s the payoff…that’s what I wanted to hear…”/

“Their live show is so much different than their studio stuff…”/ “In fairness…the 3-D album sounds much more like they sounded LIVE than this sounds…”/ “If you got to see them live, it’s kinda like getting to see Pantera live (in the 90’s)…”/ #Blessed / SILENT DARKNESS (SMOTHERED LIFE) / “The lyrics are very visual…”/ “Very untraditional thrash…thrash redux…”/ “They sound like if you could take thrash and sprinkle it in the 70’s…”

(1:03:00): “That’d be a hell of a ballsy closer…”/ TIME / “No clocks, btw…”/ “Is he still lookin’ at you?” / “You CAN’T fuck this up!” / “We didn’t have the album… (and the shocker of hearing them cover Pink Floyd’s ‘Time’)”/ For the LIVE experience to blow people away enough to seek out the band’s debut, that’s saying something… / “Do you realize that Black Sabbath came out (Friday) February 13, 1970?”/ “But technically, that’s also Black History Month adjacent…”/ “Who’s Jason?” / “Is this ‘88 thunder?”/ DAY OF THE THUNDER /

“That does sound like early Maiden…a little bit…”/ “That’s kinda power metal…”/

“I like it even more-more…now that Russell pointed out the Maiden thing…I can’t unhear that…”/ “I’ve got the magic now!” / “Let’s go for 3 in a row…”/ #booong / THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!!! / “Tell us in the comments what you’re thinking…” / #MattLooksAtTheComments / “You know what I found out the other day?” / “Why wouldn’t you think it would be on?” / “That butthole had some mileage bro…”/ #LOL / #untilthenext #outroreel