The high energy of the record climaxes with the final track, the aforementioned “From Red.” Featuring a fast-moving (or fast-walking) bass line and intricate hi-hat phrases, this British rock-sounding minor-keyed rocker has lead guitarist Julien de Benedictis using some swirly, slightly-wah-wah-like effects to accent his solos. But again, some of those single-note guitar riffs get a bit repetitive at times. This time, thankfully, multiple breakdowns and swirling feedback keep things interesting ‘til the end.
Unlike most kids their age, the teens in The Wilted aren’t just buying music from iTunes, they’re selling their songs through it, as individual (song) and album downloads, and also on CD (or MP3) through the comparatively older but still popular independent online store CD Baby.
With this promising and largely impressive self-titled debut, The Wilted should be able to make some noise in the instrumental rock scene and sell a few copies, no matter the format. And Julien de Benedictis unquestionably has the guitar chops that will get the band plenty of attention, along with a tight rhythm section. That won’t be the issue. What The Wilted need to do to get them where they want to go is hone their songwriting skills a little more – and in the process cut down on some of those repetitive passages – and think about adding more elements to their sound. As it is, the band is allegedly going to include lyrics on their next release. Whatever path they choose next, The Wilted is worth watching out for. 
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