With Wraith, what you see is what you get. Favouring focus and fire over frills and flash, the Indiana quartet, Matt Sokol (vocals, guitar), Jason Schultz (guitar), Chris Petkus (bass) and Mike Szymendera (drums), summon the speed of old-school thrash through a prism of 21st century extreme metal accelerated at a breakneck pace. The Midwest-bred outfit allows the riffs, solos, furious beats, and haunting lyrics to speak on their behalf, conjuring imagery with the high-octane action of a big-screen historical epic. “It’s relentless,” says Sokol. “It’s fast, but it’s simultaneously crushing and heavy. We always say, ‘We’re a no-gimmicks thrash metal band’. We try to make the live show as intense as listening to the record in your car really loudly. When we play, it’s lean and mean. We definitely let the music do the talking.” Recorded during 2026 with co-producer CJ Rayson, Descent Into Darkness sees Sokol draw more directly than ever on his background as a historian and history teacher. Much of the album is rooted in WWI, with individual songs drawing from different battles, periods and perspectives from the conflict. “I majored in history, and now I’m a tenth-grade history teacher,” he notes. “I find a lot of inspiration from certain eras, so Descent Into Darkness is heavily themed around WWI. Most of the songs pull from some battle or phase of conflict. Even the artwork depicts a battlefield with a reaper in the clouds. We’re telling stories from various perspectives. I’m interested in what these events were like for the people you don’t necessarily read about: the folks working in the mills or the soldiers who didn’t want to be there. I try my best to envision the experience within the music.” In an early review of the record, The Song Review echoes the sentiment, “Digging in their heels, they’ve entrenched themselves in the perfect middle ground between Seasons In The Abyss-era Slayer and Behemoth at their fastest. At the same time, these Midwest marauders wield history like a weapon, mining subject matter like WWI as inspirational fodder thanks to frontman, vocalist, and guitarist Matt Sokol’s job as a high school history teacher.” With Descent Into Darkness, Wraith take everything that has defined them, speed, aggression, stripped-back songwriting and an unapologetic love of thrash and give it a darker purpose. “We’re doing our best to push the boundaries,” Sokol concludes. “I’m immensely proud of this body of work. We’ve matured, but it’s still a Wraith record.” Wraith are: Matt Sokol – vocals, rhythm guitar, leads
Mike Szymendera – drums, backing vocals
Chris Petkus – bass, backing vocals
Jason Schultz – rhythm guitar, leads, backing vocals Wraith online: Facebook || Instagram || Prosthetic Records | 
