The Wraith - Los Angeles

Channeling ‘80s UK post-punk (Death Cult, Killing Joke) and US deathrock (T.S.O.L., Samhain), The Wraith was founded by guitarist Kaz Alvis shortly after he arrived in L.A. in 2016. The band’s irresistibly distinctive sound – skeletal basslines and tribal beats propelling Alvis’ textured swathes beneath an anguished bark – immediately earned a following, with homemade demo “Comatic Romance” racking-up thousands of YouTube views.

Convulsive, chaotic West Coast shows honed the songs that became The Wraith’s lauded 2017 debut EP, Shadow Flag, and debut album, Gloom Ballet (Southern Lord Records), two years later. Completed by vocalist Harley Mace, drummer Anatolii Lövochkin, bassist Paul Rogers, and guitarist Jose V, The Wraith’s second album, Ghost March, is due in 2023.