A Wilhelm Scream Cheap Heat Review
A Wilhelm Scream
Cheap Heat
Creator -Destructor Records
2026
Since the dawn of the early 90’s and San Francisco’s Fat Wreck Chords (a label run until recently by Mike Burkett, or “Fat Mike” of NOFX), punk rock as we know it from the 70’s and 80’s fundamentally changed. Bands weren’t afraid to mix up their influences and showcase that they loved poppy hooks and a little bit of hardcore and metal along with their favorite East Coast/West Coast punk bands. I’m not sure what to call it other than the decade-specific “skate punk.” That particular descriptor is accurate, but since the days of those nascent recordings from the likes of Strung Out, No Use For A Name, Good Riddance, and Propagandhi, the genre has continued to evolve, and bands like Straightline, Heart Sounds, Atlas Losing Grip, and New Bedford (BEDFID if you’re a local New Englander), Massachusetts’ own A Wilhelm Scream (formerly Smackin’ Isiah—whom this here writer had the pleasure of playing on a bill with at a tiny club in Bristol, TN over two decades ago) are taking the genre to incredibly technical and dizzying heights. Today we’re checking in with A Wilhelm Scream’s newest melodic shred fest, the ten-song Cheap Heat.
From their humble beginnings as Smackin’ Isiah, to then changing their name to A Wilhelm Scream and signing to Nitro Records, to releasing their classic album Ruiner in 2005 and the groundbreaking Career Suicide in 2007, this is their sixth time at the full-length dance in the 25-year career they have cultivated. I must point out here, too, that they have one of the coolest band names ever. Ever heard that canned/sampled scream when someone falls in a movie or TV show? Well, per the web, “sound designer Ben Burtt named it after Private Wilhelm, a minor character in the 1953 Western The Charge at Feather River, who lets out the iconic scream when shot with an arrow. Burtt rediscovered the stock sound effect (first used in Distant Drums for a man eaten by an alligator) and used it in Star Wars, popularizing it as an inside joke among sound effects artists, which led to its widespread use in hundreds of films as a humorous nod to itself.” How cool is it that such an obscure reference gave them their name? OK, enough background, let’s get to the album and the songs contained within.
Cheap Heat was produced by guitarist/vocalist Trevor Reilly at their hometown Anchor End Studio, with mastering handled by his father, Joe Reilly, at Black & Blue Mastering. The core of Reilly, vocalist Nuno Pereira, drummer Nicholas Angelini, and bassist Brian Robinson remain. The new addition of Ben Murray (Light This City, Heartsounds, Darkness Everywhere) on second guitar has further expanded their sound. The sound in question is full; it’s bass, drum, and guitar-driven behind Nuno’s gritty yet melodic vocals. I freely admit that I’m behind on their catalog, but there’s one thing that is glaringly apparent since they began and upon my initial listen here: these mofos CAN PLAY. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly where they are coming from stylistically other than the previously mentioned fast skate punk. There is so much more going on than that, though. Opener “Somebody’s Gonna Die” begins with an almost swirling staccato barrage of guitar and subdued vocals in the intro, only to explode into a melodic hardcore ripper that has more harmonized guitar and tapping bass licks than I can wrap my head around. The “whish oh oh” chorus, coupled with the rapid-fire vocals, gives way to a bridge that is drums, quieted vocals, and what sounds like Billy Sheehan providing the lone accompanying bass line. It’s barely 3:16 in length, and my head is already spinning. “Scumbag Grift” is more of the same and varies it up with a nice hardcore chug and more harmonized tremolo-picked guitars and a bit more gruffness vocally. The precision bass and clean guitars of “Midnight Ghost” break things up before they dive headlong into another speed-tastic verse. So far, all these songs carry more tempo shifts, technically proficient guitars, and progressive bass and drum interplay in short, concise songs than your average prog metal album.
“I Got Tunnel Vision” is next, and it might be the most traditional melodic punk song here, yet it still maintains the guitar gymnastics. Then it hits me. A Wilhelm Scream, to me, is what would happen if power metal and thrash fans formed a melodic hardcore band. Need more convincing? Listen to the mind-bending guitar noodling of the insanely catchy “Let It Ride.” Lyrically, the marked difference is that the overall vibe has gone super dark. Reilly explains, “We embraced our dark side on this one. Dove into sociopathy, personality disorders, concepts of evil, nature vs nurture, and came out of this process with some savage stories told from our signature perspective of the sore winner that refuses to lose. There are no good guys here.” There is simply not a bad song here in the 26:04 playing time. This time out, it seems A Wilhelm Scream crafted musically and technically sound arrangements while maintaining their trademark heaviness and melody and upped their own ante with a sense of urgency and razor-sharp precision that, to my ears, is their best work to date.
In summation, A Wilhelm Scream sound as relevant as ever and have delivered an album that is equal parts relentless riffs, soaring hooks, an otherworldly rhythm section, and more piss and vinegar than I can ever recall hearing from them before. These dudes have been at it since the melodic West Coast punk shaped their earliest sounds and are one of the last few from that era still standing. Cheap Heat proves one thing: they can stand proud and stand tall. I hope they continue standing for years to come. Where, you ask? On their own fucking island, because there ain’t no one else like them. Simply a brilliant and amazing collection of tunes. Officially on my best of 2026, and it’s only February…
-TB
RIYL - Strung Out, Hot Water Music, Comeback Kid, With Honor