WRATH – Interview with Jake Fromkin (drummer)

I noticed that the old bands have been coming back for several years. For me, old metalhead, it is very exciting to listen to new songs of bands, which I thought they would never come back. And here is such a surprise! WRATH – another old school Thrash Metal from the United States, whose first time I heard in the early 90s. The musicians still play the music feisty and full of energy, and nowadays they are in durring of a big tour. So, together with the drummer we invite you to this interview.

Greet! You are during the first part of the Rage Across America Tour. You already have a few concerts behind you. How are your first impressions? And fans.

The first couple of shows have been great! It definitely helps to start things off with Flotsam and Jetsam and Dead by Wednesday. The shows were also very close to home for us (Joliet, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin respectively), so we got to see a lot of familiar faces which is always great.

You played with FLOTSAM AND JETSAM. Are they cool guys?

The Flotsam guys are very cool! This is not the first time we have performed with them, so it was good to see them again, catch up, and hang out.

 Did you get some funny or scary situations during of last shows?

This story actually fits both! It was my first show with Wrath (December 10, 2016). We were opening for Armored Saint at a club called the Metal Grill in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I had only had my two auditions and three practices with the band, so needless to say I was very nervous. The stage at the Metal Grill is not very big. It’s only 20 feet or so deep with a drum riser taking up much of that space. There was another band on tour with Armored Saint as well so a total of 3 bands that night. How it works is the headliner gets to set up on the drum riser. The opening band’s drummer will set up on the stage floor in front of the riser. However, the opening band would not strike (remove) their kit. So I had to set up mine in front of theirs. This put my drums right to the front of the stage! The rest of the band had to play either next to me or behind me which was a very unorthodox set up. Later, we laughed about it because it happened to be my first Wrath show, so what a way to introduce myself than to be right out front when the drummer usually hides in the back.

At some period you’ve worked with David Ellefson (from MEGADETH). I understand that you supported his Basstory Tour? And you have more more cooperations with him by the label?

 Yes, we actually just announced we will be supporting him on a handful of dates later this summer when he goes on his More Life with Deth tour promoting his new book.

 On the tour you promote your last album “Rage” released in 2018. This is your fifth album, and the second after returning to the stage. What are the differences between last two albums?

 There are quite a few differences. First and foremost, we had a lineup change between albums. Our original singer, Gary Golwitzer returned to the band and we replaced drummer Patt Maxwell with our current drummer, Jake Fromkin. This contributed immensely to the overall sound of the album. Also, you may have noticed a more “old school” vibe on this new album. That is because the songs were actually written between 1990 and 1993. RAGE was initially meant to be a follow up to Insane Society. So when we were picked up by Combat Records in early 2017, we were able to produce an album rather quickly because we had all of this unused material.

 In the early 90s of the last century, I bought a tape with your third album “Insane Society”. In Poland, at that time, there were almost no license cartridges, only pirated ones. But thanks to this I learned about WRATH. I still have this tape for today! I hope you do not mind that I was involved in piracy then?

 Of course not! That is how we found new music before the internet. If it means we get a new fan who later supports us by buying our merchandise or coming to a show, that is what matters. Plus, musicians don’t make money on music sales anyways so I’m sure we won’t miss the few cents we may have made on that sale if it was bought legally.

But what I wanted to say… The well-exposed bass parts was clearly heard at the “Insane Society”. At that time in Poland we called such technical Thrash Metal as Techno-Thrash. And when I hear the latest album “Rage”, these characteristic bass parts are still appearing. This is probably due to the bassist Gary Modic, who has been in the band since the beginning …

 Yes, Gary has always had a very recognizable bass tone. There are some bands you just know by their bass player (Geddy Lee of Rush, Steve Harris of Iron Maiden, Les Claypool of Primus) and Gary Modica is no exception! We really wanted to make sure his signature bass tone came through on the new record….

 How is “Rage”described by critics?

 Like everything else, some people loved it – others did not. Overall though, it has been well-received by critics and fans alike.

 What does it cause angry and rage in your lyrics on the new album?

 I think the lyrics on the new album are really a commentary on the state of the world today. If you listen to the lyrics on all of the songs, they are laden with examples of senseless war, pain, fear, anger, rage, all of the feelings I think we (as the collective human race) are experiencing, but feel powerless to change it.

 What things the most does annoy you in everyday life?

 The same things that annoy everyone else, probably: traffic jams, not getting enough sleep, letting your coffee get cold, our president being a complete and utter moron, unsatisfying meals, long lines at amusement parks, you know – the usual stuff.

 You added to the las album “Aces of Spades” (MOTORHEAD). It is true that this is not an original choice, but it is a cult song and it always works…

 We have ended every show with Ace for the last 30 years, so with Lemmy’s recent passing, we thought it would be appropriate to pay homage to him by finally putting it on a record.

Today, everyone release an official video for some of the new songs. Combat Records released lyric video “Draw Blood”. Why this song?

 Not only was it one of our personal favorites, but when we played it live (before the album came out), fans always went wild! That reaction alone made for a very easy decision when it was time to pick the first single from RAGE.

Maybe now this is time for some official video. Maybe from a concert or some mini story to concrete song?

 We have been working on ideas for another video. I think when the tour is over, we’re going to work on that as well as some other things I think our fans will be excited for.

 Jake, how did you get to the band?

 I was actually recruited by the band. They were looking to replace their drummer at the time, and kind of stumbled on me by accident. I was working as a fill-in drummer at the time and had a flyer promoting my services at a local music shop. Gary Modica’s son, Anthony was also looking for a drummer and found my flyer first. However, he is much younger than I am and he wanted to find someone more his age, but I was just the right age for WRATH! Scott [Nyquist] reached out and asked if I would like to come audition. I had two auditions with the band. I knew they liked what I brought to the table, but they were very good about not giving away my fate. Knowing they had a big show with Armored Saint in a couple of weeks, I jokingly mentioned at the end of my second audition that I was available to play that show if they needed me. I don’t even think I made it home before I got a phone call letting me know I was in. That was December of 2016 and the rest (for lack of a better phrase) is history.

 What do you think… Why WRATH never reached such status as other American thrash bands that started in a similar period, eg METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH, ANTHRAX, TESTAMENT, OVERKILL?

 I guess that could be answered with another question: why doesn’t it happen to others, too? It could be a number of things. Location, timing, even luck. I guess we’ll never really know and speculating on something like this can be depressing, so we don’t usually think about it. I guess it could be that had we been in California or New York at the time, maybe things would be different. But then again, maybe they wouldn’t be. Like I said, we’ll never know so there’s little point in thinking about it. We’ve been very lucky to achieve the level of credibility to we are at now, but we will always keep moving forward in hopes that more and more with know the WRATH name.

 Are some concert plans outside of the U.S.?

Nothing set in stone yet, but perhaps you might see us “Rage Across Europe” in 2020.

 Well, I wish you to implement the intended plans! Thanks for the interview! Do you want say something on the end of the interview?

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