The Wyldz

Human Rise

“There’s no time to jam with the stars – we shall fight!” declares the Wyldz in “No Time.” “And when we fight with drums and guitars – we’re all right!” Both this non-winking manifesto and the Bill & Ted band name might lead you to believe the trio covers itself in Manowar patches. Unfortunately for steroid-infused headbangers, the Paris-to-Austin transplants instead pledge their troth to the Seventies, particularly the blues-injected hard rock of Cactus, Free, and (of course) Led Zeppelin. “Light As a Feather,” “Human Rise,” and “A Little More Rock & Roll” provide plenty of meat and potatoes for easy digestion, and Grady’s Gordie Johnson bakes it all into a solid entrée. The band tastes best with a hit of acid, as when the psychedelically inclined “Screen” and “High and Wide” swirl and pound righteously. Otherwise, new flavors in this old dish are hard to come by, though the recipe is executed perfectly.

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This article appears in November 29 • 2013.

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Michael Toland started writing about music in 1988 on the Gulf Coast, moved to Austin in early 1991, and has inflicted bylines upon the corporeal and digital pages of Pop Culture Press, The Big Takeover, Blurt, Amplifier, Austin.citysearch, the Austin American Statesman, Goldmine, Sleazegrinder, Rock & Roll Globe, High Bias, FHT Music Notes, and, since 2011, The Austin Chronicle.