In existence for just three years, the life of Midlands act Wounded Cross was extinguished before its time. Unable to release anything while they were still a going concern, the band’s first (and only) demo recordings have finally been mixed and released onto YouTube three years after their split.

Good old fashioned metal with splashes of jazz and hints of folk, the differing styles mesh well while never really straying too far from their fixed core sound. Opening with ‘Our Future is Dead’, an instrumental punctuated by some tasty guitar licks, the mid-paced, catchy ‘Shadowplay’ follows, combining traditional riffs with a doomy atmosphere. Other highlights include the stomping ‘Endless Battle’ which finds vocalist Graham Bliss sounding like an angry Biff Byford singing over Black Sabbath riffs, and the jazzy blues of the ’70s prog-tinged ‘Tainted Legacy’ which suddenly explodes into life halfway through.

Raw and enthusiastic, but lacking the quality production of a proper studio, Our Future is Dead features some nice guitar work, tidy bass lines and big drums. The vocals can be an acquired taste, ranging from spot on to flat as a pancake, but still work in an attitude over perfection kind of way. Hey, it never did the punk scene or Ozzy any harm, did it.

6/10

GARY ALCOCK