So we just posted 3 videos(go watch em on our page) which were filmed this past weekend from a show we played at the Middle East in Boston Mass.  If you've seen us live before you might have noticed 2 things.

1-where did Mehl go?
2-who are those other guys?

First the awnser to question 1.
Well after a lot of discussion and a mutual agreement Mehl has decided to step down from WITW for a few months and focus on some personal issues going on in his life right now.  He's not officially out of WITW or anything just on what we could consider a hiatus from the band.  We love Mehl and hope to see him back.

And to awnser question 2.
Those guys are some good friends of ours who have stepped in to help the band out.  Greg Thomas(The Risk Taken, Shai Hulud, Silver Bullet Studios) who was the engineer and producer of our CD "Lost Art of Heaping Coal" and Dave Swanson(From the infamous Life In Your Way).  All though these guys are only fill ins.....

Greg will also be writing and recording our next Facedown release(more info coming soon) and Dave will also be helping the recording and writing process of the new cd. 

The 3 of us in WITW(Darrell, Derek, Andy) could not be happier working with these talented guys and you should expect to be blown away by our new CD(expected to be released in fall 09)

We are heading out on a 2 week tour at the end of this month to Cornerstone(check the page for dates) Greg and our good friend Corey(also of the infamous Life in your Way) will be filling in on Gtr for the tour and then we will be entering the studio directly after to start recording!

Hey Everyone! After lots of discussion , prayer and weighing our options out we have decided to no longer be a 3 piece aka Power trio! Instead we will be moving Darrell to being a full time front man and we will be having our good friend Derek Anderson jump on bass duties. This has been a hard decision to come to, we have been throwing the idea of this around for a quite sometime now and we really feel now is the right time to do so! This will definitely make our live show more intense, exciting and brutal. I tell you right now, you don' t wanna miss this one! So get ready to sing along, jump around and go crazy! "

The 3 of us in Wrench In The Works want to stay in touch with you! We get to meet a lot of awesome folks on tour but we find that when we get home it's hard to stay in touch! So if you met us on any of the touring we have done in the past year please hit us up with a message or a comment so we know who you are.

Feel free to leave a comment on this log and we can correspond together here! We hear to listen, pray, make jokes and reminisce of good times!!!!

We value the friendships we make on the road and don't want to loose that!!! Please hit us up it's important to us! We appreciate it...
love
The Wrench

You don't find many artists that step outside the realm of conservative formulas for "creative" new music - probably for good reason : the formulaic approach sells, and we eat it like we're being spoon-fed without awareness that "Oh my Lord! New and exciting bands really do exist!" Enter: Wrench In The Works. It may not be flawless, and it's definitely not clean... in fact, their debut Facedown release is refreshingly dirty. With brute force the threesome thrusts the listener into a viscously paced, double-bass introduction that leaves you frustrated you can hardly move to the same tempo. Unique and heavy in its moments of chaos an calm, this album - lyrically, experimentally, and collectively - stands out in a time of general relapse.
HM Magazine Nov/Dec 2008 by Levi Macallister


POST-HARDCORE NOISE: Creating a racket not dissimilar to post-hardcore maulers Zao and Ed Gein, Wrench In The Works launches "Lost Art of Heaping Coal" from the speakers on a wave of guitar squall and clattering rhythms that have taken a severe beating from the ugly stick. A sense of urgency underpins the majority of the tracks, so that the likes of "Our Time" and "Brokenness" surge past you like a whirlwind of adrenaline and amphetamines, the tortured vocals of bassist Darrell and guitarist Mehl conveying a sickness behind their lyrics. "One Foot out of Hell" has them applying the brakes, and while still maintaining their intensity, they blend in post-rock style melodies and a glorious crescendo(prior to a thuggish breakdown), which proves that there's more to this mob than at first meets the ear - something that is cemented by the shimmering passages of the title track, which closes out the record. Although maintaining a level of spirited bluster, the record is undermined slightly in that it sounds in turns like too many other bands - add the likes of Converge, Knut, Johnny Traunt, Pig Destroyer and Drowningman to the list - never quite managing to carve out a unique identity for itself, but hopefully "Lost Art of Heaping Coal" will prove to be a stepping stone to greater glory.
Outburn Magazine 46 by Dan Slessor


Anymore with Facedown Records, you know what you are getting; some form of quality Christian metal, whether it be the melodic death metal (War of Ages, A Plea For Purging), catchy poppy metalcore/hardcore (Take It back, Kingston Falls), or traditional hardcore (Call to Preserve, Sleeping Giant), and now we have Wrench in the Works (basically the new incarnation of Emmanuel 7), a more angular, stuttering yet punchy form of hardcore.
Culling from the likes of Converge, Zao, Symphony In Peril, Advent and such, WITW are a muscular, hefty act with lots of stuttering, jagged riffs and burly vocals. Not overly crazy of spazzy tech core, but certainly a restrained discordance and chaos. However, they do manage to inject a few moments of traditional hardcore melody and structure into the fray as tracks like "Our Time", "One Foot Out of Hell" and moments of "Faith is a Virus" break up things a little bit. On the whole though, a majority of the tracks are more abrasive, sharp edged tracks as the likes of "Dust Over Time Test", "Tonight Is War", "Pale Fire" rumble and lurch with the right mix of caustic energy and structure. "Loaded Gun", "Faith Is a Virus" and closing title track try to be a little more experimental with dashes of acoustic introspection and a more ambient graceful side that's fits the subject matter but seemed a bit sudden and forced amid the relative noise.
Aesthetically, Andy Mehl has a standard shout roar and the other two members ply their instruments with aplomb, however, the standout is the very, tight and ultra punchy production, especially the drums of Andy Nelson, who pretty much carries this record. But ultimately, it's still a record that's just solid and enjoyable rather than anything special, especially in such a crowded genre.
Now, what exactly is the Lost Art of Heaping Coal?
www.teethofthedivine.com


Being unique is hard. Sure, you can be out there and different, but soon someone else will be just as different, and you are no longer all that unique. I know it sounds ridiculous, but how many bands can you say are truly unique these days? Most of the bands that were unique when they started out have now been copied in bulk. It's hard to realize what is genuinely different and what isn't. Yes, I will admit that there are bands out there pushing boundaries in their respective genres, but the ratio of originality to unoriginality is very very minuscule.

For those who agree with my previous statement, you may have just found some new hope in Hartford's Wrench in the Works. It sounds hypocritical, but they do borrow some sound from the likes of Converge, Zao, and even Shai Hulud in some parts. However, it's what they do with the borrowing that counts. They are able to throw these influences into a blender and create something pretty delicious that tastes like nothing else you've had in a while. Well at least if you're me.

On Lost Art of Heaping Coal, which is the band's second effort and first through Facedown Records, the band establishes themselves as something special. Vocalist Mehl – who is also the only guitarist in the band, which is very impressive – sounds like a cross between an awesome hardcore punk singer, and Matt Ian Mazzali from Shai Hulud. His guitar playing abilities are very strong as well. Beyond his mastery of metal licks, he even incorporates some great acoustic layering into tracks like "Lost Art of Heaping Coal." And that is on top of the insanely catchy lead lines in "Brokenness." One listen through and you'll realize that he is a very well-rounded guitar player. The rest of the band is solid as well, which only establishes them as an act to watch in the hardcore scene.

While it is obvious who Wrench in the Works draw influences from on their latest disc, they are still unique in their own right. To be able to have an even remotely original sound in the metalcore scene is special enough. Unfortunately, it is almost a guarantee that Wrench in the Works will be in a pool of bands that sound exactly like them pretty soon. However, this reviewer will know who started it all, so until then, bid welcome to a relatively new sound in Wrench in the Works. The only plan of yours they'll ruin is the one that involves listening to unoriginal music.

--Logan Broger
www.decoymusic.com


Wrench in the works is a 3-piece Christian Metalcore band out of Connecticut. They have been previously called Groundzero and Emanuel 7. These guys are constantly touring the U.S. and even Canada to get their name out.

When I began listening to Lost Art of Heaping Coal I was dazzled by the sound these guys create while having merely three members. First off the drums, oh lord the drums. That is the first thing that really stood out about these guys. Their drummer is completely outrageous; he uses some of the most unique patterns that I have personally ever heard. Second the guitar and bass riffs. They are pretty unique sounding and have some pretty diverse sounds.

Alright so on to the actual tracks, now I must say my personal favorite track on this album would have to be "Tonight Is War." It is most deffinatly the most energetic track on this album. Once again the drummer came through right from the start on this track. It starts off with a really fast riff and double bass action and keeps attention throughout. It also contains an extremely sick breakdown. I would have to say this is lyrically the best song on the entire album as well.

Another song that I personally really enjoyed was "Faith As A Virus." It has a pretty cool sounding riff from the start and goes into a slower paced cleaner sounding part into a heavier part which I personally feel is the strongest part of the song. The vocals really did the standing out on this track more then anything. There is a really good balance of all the instruments in this track too.

"One Foot Out Of Hell" was another track that stood out on this album. It first really caught my attention by the powerful message that they have in this song. There is also a really good amount of suspense in this song leading up to heavier parts with melodic riffs and slow paced drum rolls. This has to be the most Christian song on this album too, which is why you can really tell this group of guys really care about their God the meaning behind why they are playing. The best part of this song would have to be the breakdown and it's beast feature would have to be the double bass and splash cymbal used by the drummer.

Now one thing about the album that I really didn't care for is some songs seemed to be dragged out. Also I feel that there was room for more diversity on this album. A lot of the tracks (besides the ones I mention) kind of all blended together. Also I felt the vocals could have been a little more diverse.

To sum up Lost Art of Heaping Coal, I would just like to say that this cd has some of the best drum work that I have heard in my entire life. That is the thing that stood out to me more then anything. Wrench In The Work is a group of very talented guys, and I must say this cd isn't a let down. The only thing was it lacked diversity. These guys worked their ass's off to put out a good cd and they achieved it.

*Written by: Danny Weiss*
Grade: 6.5/10
underthegunreview.net

Please go and pick a copy up of our new CD "Lost Art Of Heaping Coal" in stores now through Facedown Records! We need all the support we can get!!!


Official press release from Facedown Records

Today marks the release date for Wrench In The Works' Facedown debut: Lost Art of Heaping Coal.

A sound which is brutally aggressive joins with well-written metal-influenced-hardcore to show its unabashed rebellion against the genre's restricting conventions. As experimental metal begins to flow with the mainstream, Wrench In The Works desists from the gimmicks that plague the stage during so many metal-hardcore hybrid shows, allowing the unconventionality of their writing to shine through.




WRENCH IN THE WORKS "LOST ART OF HEAPING COAL" OUT NOW
The new album from Wrench In The Works titled "Lost Art Of Heaping Coal" is
in stores and online now. You can pick up a copy of the CD at Hot Topic,
FYE, Hastings, Virgin and select Best Buy locations. You can also pick up a
copy at any of these fine indie retailers: Newbury Comics, Bull Moose, Zia,
Gray Whale, Angelos, Dimple, Electric Fetus, Indepenedent Records, Rasputins
and many more. If you don't want to leave the comfort of your own home,
then you can order a copy from our online store, or buy MP3's from either
iTunes or directly on our site here (Facedownrecords.com).

Here's the official word from the label:

""WRENCH IN THE WORKS SIGNS WITH FACEDOWN RECORDS
With great excitement and anticipation we welcome Wrench In The Works to the Facedown Family. After hearing their songs, meeting them and seeing them live, we knew that we had to work with this band and we are excited to spread the word about them through Facedown. These guys have been booking their own shows all over the East Coast and nationwide for the past few years and their work ethic is very strong and the music is undeniably heavy and creative. Make sure to head over to their myspace page to check out some songs, and send them a message. They are playing the upcoming Stillborn Fest on Dec. 23 in New Haven, CT w. Hatebreed, God Forbid, Agnostic Front and many more. They are currently finishing the writing for their Facedown debut that will be engineered and produced this spring by Mike Schleibaum of Darkest Hour for a summer 2008 release. After the album is recorded the band will be hitting the road continuously with stops planned at Facedown Fest in Pomona, CA (March 28-29) and then on to the summer festivals."


WrenchintheWorks

PLEASE REPOST!!

Hey everybody,
We have some awesome news to tell you. This November we will be hitting the road with our good friends in Call It Arson. The tentative routing is below, please if you can help book any of the following shows hit us up via our myspace.

*please note the following*
Nov. 2nd-6th will be just Wrenchintheworks (no Call It Arson)
Nov.7th-18th is with Call it Arson.....

www.myspace.com/wrenchintheworks
ww.myspace.com/callitarson

NOVEMBER
Fri. 2nd-CT
Sat. 3rd-Poughkeespie, Warwick NY
Sun. 4th-Lynchburg, Harrisonburg, Roanoke VA
Mon. 5th-Winston Salem, Greensboro NC
Tues. 6th-Knoxville, Chattanooga TN
Wed 7th - Nashville, TN-W/ CALL IT ARSON
Thurs 8th - Louisville, KY-W/ CALL IT ARSON
Fri 9th - **BOOKED LEXINGTON KY
Sat 10th - Chicago IL, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis IN-W/ CALL IT ARSON
Sun 11th - Chicago IL, Fort Wayne, Gary IN-W/ CALL IT ARSON
Mon 12th - Detroit MI-W/ CALL IT ARSON
Tues 13th - MI-W/ CALL IT ARSON
Wed 14th - OH-W/ CALL IT ARSON
Thurs 15th - Pittsburgh, PA, Cleveland OH-W/ CALL IT ARSON
Fri 16th - * BOOKED Pittsburg, PA @Mr Roboto Project -W/ CALL IT ARSON
Sat 17th - Philly -W/ CALL IT ARSON
Sun 18th – NYC -W/ CALL IT ARSON

Can I profess my eternal, undying love for Wrenchintheworks? Theyre quite possibly the hardest-working band in Connecticut. Lately theyve been gigging, writing, recording, and generally logging obscene amounts of mileage on their battered van. They played to a packed Wallingford American Legion on Sunday night. Wrench was loose and spontaneous, letting songs evolve into improvised jams -- a rarity in a genre where songs often come to abrupt endings. Regardless of whether you consider them metal, punk or hardcore, Wrenchintheworks performance made it clear that above all, they are rock music: theyre unafraid to rebel against conventions. Dan Barry, Hartford Advocate


The sound known as metalcore has been on the scene for several years now, but only because of bands like Wrench in the Works . Back in the mid-'90s, an early incarnation of WITW known as Groundzero was among the first to blend the two genres together -- with frightening results. Now, a few band configurations and almost 10 years later, the members of WITW are still playing true-school metalcore. Instead of pandering to the crowds who want endless mosh fodder, they plow through songs of despair, hope, and redemption, leaving the crowd to sort it out for themselves.

WITW tore up the Wallingford American Legion Wednesday night last week, putting a cap on their tour of the East Coast. They've just released their first LP, Prodigal Transmission, and it's documented proof that these boys are in top form. Live, they seethe with passion and frustration. Guitarist/vocalist Justin Mehl strains into the microphone so hard that the veins and tendons seem on the edge of bursting. Drummer Andy Nelson snarls and spits his way through tribal tom fills. Darrell Tauro plays bass and shares vocal duties. He falls into a trance-like state as he tears through technical passages. Connecticut will never have to fear that its scene will lose sight of its roots as long as we've got veterans like this. - Dan Barry, Hartford Advocate


Existing as a three piece within the scene of metallic hardcore can be a difficult task, escpecially when most bands are utilizing more equipment than you. Then again, the less people to have in the van next to you and the writting process has to be slightly easier. In any effect, Wrenchintheworks (who was known as groundzero a few years ago) don't care and simply just try to blow out ear drums. Definitely in the vein of old Conneticut Hardcore like Die My Will and the like. It is like a blunt object, it just pummels with no remorse. - Status Issuse 29 Fall 2005

Judging by this record, Wrenchintheworks are very fond of late 90's metalcore. Whether you'd like to think so or not, this is a good thing, since that's when the genre flourished. It saddens me that records like this are becoming more and more rare. You have to search long and hard to find disgusting and abrasive, yet danceable (not MOSHable, it wasn't called moshing back then) metalcore that isn't too over produced and filled to the brim with nonsensical and obnoxiously dramatic singing parts and 'hooks'.

WITW may not be blazing any new trails, but they can make you nostalgic for metalcore that was yet to be poisoned by big record contracts and Bob Rock style production. If you find yourself still constantly listening to Coalesce, Converge, Overcast, Dissolve, Barrit, etc, then check this out, because few bands are still playing actual metalcore. Especially bands that sound like they know what they're doing, and Wrenchintheworks knows what they're doing. - Mike Dikk, Bystander Fanzine

Formerly operating under the Groundzero moniker, Connecticut trio WrenchintheWorks here present a 30 minute case for their approach to the metal-hardcore hybrid. Backed by a '90s-throwback metalcore sound, the raging vocals spew words of angst that lean towards Christian themes, mainly the torment of disconnection from God's grace. Myself, I like a little hopelessness with my disaffection, but it must be said that lines like "I've become spiritually cold / take me / drain me / purify" have an appropriately intimidating weight to them, especially in the exposed-nerve musical setting they're delievered in. - CB, Punkplanet.com




I'm sure a lot of you older kids like myself will remember a band called Groundzero. Kinda dropped off the face of the earth didn't they? Well, not really. Some of them did a band on thorp for a while called Emmanuel 7, and now they're back in full force, but not under the monicker of Groundzero. No, the 9-11 incident made it a little tough for them to use that name being that they're from the New England area. So they're now Wrenchintheworks, but they still rock as hard as they ever did.

I hate referencing people's myspace pages in reviews, but this is one I couldn't ignore. On the Wrench... myspace page, they posted they sound like Norma Jean. Now come on guys...last I checked, you were playing music like this before those new jacks were. Now I understand it's a marketing thing, but really, come on. All that said, when you listen to this album, it's proof that there are still bands out there that can write an amazingly heavy record, completely devoid of hooks, catchy sections, or any of that nature, and you still want to listen to it. In a nutshell this band is brutally heavy, in the same vein as Breather Resist, Coalesce, Majority Rule, and bands of that nature. I grew up on a lot of that music, so it's got a soft spot for me. Bravo boys, bravo. You've parlayed your work into one hell of an album, a little rough around the edges, but a great record still. By a little rough around the edges, I don't mean that there are some parts that you hear and think to yourself "what the hell were they thinking?" I mean simply this, the record is a little sample heavy, sure, some people get into that kinda thing, but I think the album would have been better without them. Other than that, my only real problem with this release was the recording quality. Now, I know being on a small label you can't expect the best of budgets, but they do what they can. Had Wrench... had a bigger recording budget and could of hit up Matt Bayles or Kurt Ballou, this record would have shined.

In Conclusion: Wrenchintheworks is not your typical band on today's market. There are a handful of bands still playing stuff like this, but they're few and far between. When you come across a group like this, you're almost required to check out their work. I personally feel a little remissed for having waited this long to review this album, but with site problems, server issues, etc. things happen. I'm stoked that I did get the chance to spin this album, and it's made it's way onto my ipod which is pretty big news by today's standards. Wrenchintheworks is summed up easily in one word: devastating.

Rocks Like: Coalesce, Majority Rule, Breather Resist, etc..
-riseandrevolt.com

Fuck, how long have these dudes been doing this stuff? First, it was Ground Zero, and then they transformed into the much more progressive Wrenchintheworks. And they've been at it since the late 90's, but without too much to their name. Well, they finally got around to releasing a new recording and it follows in the tradition of what they've been doing for sometime now, which is heavy and spastic metalcore. Maybe that sounds too vague, but what WITW accomplishes with this is something akin to the harsh technical brutality of groups like Bloodlet, but with a little less of a prevalent and mutating groove, replaced instead with a sound that is a little more prog, yet still whiplash heavy. It's not the best thing I've ever heard, but it shows new-school (or should I say 'nu-school?) metalcore a thing or two about a thing or two. (Redscroll Records, joshredscroll@hotmail.com)-hanginghex.com