Album Review: Bleached Cross Turn Loss Into Something Human on ‘Wrath’
Photo by: Matty Gagui
The Chicago-based band Bleached Cross has spent the past several years defining a sound that blurs the lines between post-punk, industrial music, darkwave, blackened hardcore, and noise rock. Initially formed remotely between Chicago and San Diego in 2019 as an exchange of files and ideas, Bleached Cross has expanded and evolved into a full band since, known for their powerfully emotional live performances.
Their identity as a band has been thoughtfully curated in their newest full length album, Wrath, which pushes every element of their sound even further than before. The album will be available July 24 via New Morality Zine.
Wrath explores the role of grief as a psychological horror and spiritual transformation across ten tracks, weaving together a meditation on mortality rooted around central themes of loss, guilt, death, and the struggle to preserve love in the aftermath of tragedy.
Bleached Cross will release their latest album Wrath on July 24, via New Morality Zine.
However, something deeply human underlies the album's almost supernatural feel. Brought to life at Bricktop Recording with Andy Nelson during the summer and fall of 2025, Wrath was approached with a high level of preparation and detail, particularly with a focus on tension, pacing, and sound design. Through the album’s creation, the band aimed to create heaviness through atmosphere rather than simply through sheer volume.
Dark, mournful, and vulnerable, Wrath captures and refines emotions that are difficult to describe with words alone. Sure, the album is overall consumed by heavier themes of death, but it is ultimately driven by the possibility of redemption, acknowledging the permanent impact of grief, but also highlighting the beauty of learning to carry love and pain in tandem.
There is something special to me about albums that feel intentionally created as a whole piece of art, rather than the tracks standing out distinctly and disconnectedly from one another. Bleached Cross has released just that.
Wrath feels more like an immersive, cinematic art piece that takes the listener on a journey through the stages of grief, rather than a collection of random songs thrown in with a radio hit.
Track Notes
Thorn Crown – 02:00
The album opens on a strong note with a distorted hum that almost sounds like the beginning of a vintage film reel spinning, setting the tone for the album’s storytelling. This track is the perfect beginning to Wrath, with a heavy, dark sound and lyrics that touch on the central themes from the very start.
Season of the Witch – 03:15
This track begins with a striking bass line accented by synths. This song immediately hit me as a standout because of its retro gothic feel. Lyrically, this track touches more on the supernatural note of the album with religious references woven in, focusing on the ethereal, transformative aspect of death.
Blood Moon – 03:52
Released as the final preview to Wrath on July 8, this track has a bit of a lighter, almost shimmery feel. It carries a much more conventional melody line and is well-suited for a crowd to sing along to at a Bleached Cross show. The ending of the song can be interpreted in multiple ways, however, both meanings are present in other songs on the album, which makes the track individualized to the listener while not deviating away from the central purpose of the album. To me, the discussion of lost love in this track balances between introducing an almost Orphic character to the story and giving the “narrator” a more vengeful persona.
Crucible – 04:33
In contrast to “Blood Moon,” “Crucible” was the first glimpse of Wrath from Bleached Cross, released as a single on May 15. This track touches on the feeling of anticipatory grief, beginning very soft and atmospheric before launching into distinctive guitar riffs and a strong classic goth beat. To me, this track is another standout on the album, masterfully blending a lingering softness with moments of heavier growling in the background.
Tomb – 03:40
Featuring two heavily contrasting vocal styles within the same song, “Tomb” dives into self-loathing while at the same time exploring how love transforms beyond the limits of mortality. This dichotomy is really interesting and makes for a great track.
Lingering Souls – 03:32
Also initially released as a single, this track employs strong melodic hooks and an almost dance-like electronic beat, adding a hint of levity between songs.
Torment – 03:53
Despite the haunting lyrics, this song has me yearning for the goth club. No notes.
Requiem – 02:55
The build up towards the end of this track is really, really great. Upon the first listen, this one wasn’t my favorite but as the melodies layered together, they built up into something strong, special, and heavily emotive.
The Dark – 04:11
“The Dark” is one of the longer tracks included in Wrath, and rightfully so, as it has a lot to say. This song doesn’t stand out so much musically as it does lyrically. The struggle of the central character is palpable as they wrestle with mortality, the presence of tragedy and evil within the world, feeling the silence of a higher power, and a repeating meditation of being irredeemable.
Wrath – 04:28
As the title track of Wrath, this song is incredibly important to the storyline of the album. It draws the album to a magnificent and intentional close as a culmination of the spectrum of emotions that were explored in previous tracks. Bringing the process of grief full circle, it looks at tragedy with an evolved mindset without dismissing the permanent change endured. It has a swelling, epic feel and I think it is perfectly suited for a closing battle scene in a dramatic dark fantasy movie.