Wolfcrusher
We were recently sent through Virgin Tapestry from Wolfcrusher, by Ryan at Skratch The Surface to see what we thought. This 5 piece band is made up of members of other bands such as Dirty Habit and Soma Dark (2 bands we have recently featured) and describe their music as melodic groove death metal – which sounds like a combination I need to hear!
Opening with Reborn, immediately the tone is set dark and distorted, the guitars stealing the show over a pounding drum line which is sure to shake you to your core. Relentlessly heavy throughout, this track opens the album and shows straight off that these guys mean business! The vocals range from screechy to roaring, all the way through to powerful gravelly lines which soar over the chorus section, adding further elements to the mix to elevate this above a simplistic death metal tag. As a track there’s a really funky edge to proceedings, you can see that this is a track which is sure to get live crowds moving, it’s got the exact right pace to get pits going crazy. What I really liked about the track personally though was how all of the elements seem to work together to form the track, rather than this being a track which simply features different elements. Every instrument of the band can be heard throughout the entire song which means you can really burrow down into the different elements and pick them apart, and they’re all damned good!
Skeletonizer comes in at number 2, a track which (as the name suggests)simply pummels you to a pulp. The opening riff greets a hammering drum line, the bass is kept high and soon enough you’re thrown into a distorted mix of fast paced screaming vocals and downright heavy metal goodness. Once again making sure they’re more than just a simple tag, there are lead lines layered into the track which, when combined with the rolling double bass pedal, add a sense of movement and melody to the track, something which can so often be lost. This theme continues into Lost At Sea, another funk fuelled track which is sure to get live crowds tearing venues apart. The structure of the track lends itself far more towards the Southern Rock style of metal, but with the heavy vocals over the backing music, it is transformed into something very different indeed. This track is insanely heavy when you really pick it apart, but the melodic edge which it has got really elevates it and makes it into something which I think a lot of people are going to enjoy. I particularly liked the chorus sections of this track, the vocals are powerful over a rolling drum beat whilst a soaring lead line grabs you by the throat and leads you through things, one hell of a track!
Moving into All Shall Pass, everything all of a sudden seems to ease off, a gentle piano line leading the way into the track and luring you in, making you listen harder. Fading in the guitars with a softened vocal line, the over all mix here is once again dark yet somehow mysterious, suggesting that this could just be an introduction to what is to come. As it progresses, things become clearer bit by bit as different elements come into being, from a plucked lead line through to bass heavy rhythms, all kept relatively soft but still packing a punch. Whilst this track seems to differ from the ones before it, I really like this song and would place it amongst my favourites from the album purely because it demonstrates the bands ability to craft tracks which are heavy, without relying on reverb or distortion to do the work for them – this track is clean yet packs as much punch as some of the heaviest tracks I’ve come across. It’s a bit of a shock to the system then when Insuperabilis comes into follow on, a track which opens slow, sludgy and downright heavy once again. This track once again grabs you by the throat and slams you to the ground, then makes you thank the band for the privilege of letting them do it! Tinged with funk once again, this track seems to fit in with the outlook of the album as a whole, and also presents another track which I imagine is received damned well on the live front.
As the track fades and No Chance comes into being you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d suddenly moved onto a new album, everything seems to take a very Van Halen turn as proceedings get going – not that I’m complaining it’s just a shock! Kicking into another almighty riff and keeping the lead line going over it, this track is a stroke of sheer genius as it seems to showcase the bands abilities, almost as if they’re saying check us out and what we can do! Harmonic throughout, this is another track which is sure to get you moving along and one which I imagine will see live crowds chanting lyrics at the band – if you like your music heavy but catchy then this right here is it! Soon enough though we find ourselves on Moving Mountains to finish the album, another track which is an example of sheer brutality in musical form. Opening with a hammering riff over some rolling drums, the mix once again pulls you in, making you listen harder only to smash you in the face with guttural roaring, rolling drums and bass heavy rhythms – it’s a hell of a way to close the album but it matches the style maintained throughout.
How can I sum up what I’ve heard on this album? I guess the easiest way to put it is groove laden funky distorted melodic metal elevated beyond a simplistic tag – or something like that. Wolfcrusher have really surprised me with the album, not because of preconceptions but purely by producing an album which I can see being played a hell of a lot around here. Sure this is heavy music, but there’s tints of Devin Townsend-esque style genius behind the simple façade! Check them out but go into it open minded and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!
To find out more about Wolfcrusher, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Opening with Reborn, immediately the tone is set dark and distorted, the guitars stealing the show over a pounding drum line which is sure to shake you to your core. Relentlessly heavy throughout, this track opens the album and shows straight off that these guys mean business! The vocals range from screechy to roaring, all the way through to powerful gravelly lines which soar over the chorus section, adding further elements to the mix to elevate this above a simplistic death metal tag. As a track there’s a really funky edge to proceedings, you can see that this is a track which is sure to get live crowds moving, it’s got the exact right pace to get pits going crazy. What I really liked about the track personally though was how all of the elements seem to work together to form the track, rather than this being a track which simply features different elements. Every instrument of the band can be heard throughout the entire song which means you can really burrow down into the different elements and pick them apart, and they’re all damned good!
Skeletonizer comes in at number 2, a track which (as the name suggests)simply pummels you to a pulp. The opening riff greets a hammering drum line, the bass is kept high and soon enough you’re thrown into a distorted mix of fast paced screaming vocals and downright heavy metal goodness. Once again making sure they’re more than just a simple tag, there are lead lines layered into the track which, when combined with the rolling double bass pedal, add a sense of movement and melody to the track, something which can so often be lost. This theme continues into Lost At Sea, another funk fuelled track which is sure to get live crowds tearing venues apart. The structure of the track lends itself far more towards the Southern Rock style of metal, but with the heavy vocals over the backing music, it is transformed into something very different indeed. This track is insanely heavy when you really pick it apart, but the melodic edge which it has got really elevates it and makes it into something which I think a lot of people are going to enjoy. I particularly liked the chorus sections of this track, the vocals are powerful over a rolling drum beat whilst a soaring lead line grabs you by the throat and leads you through things, one hell of a track!
Moving into All Shall Pass, everything all of a sudden seems to ease off, a gentle piano line leading the way into the track and luring you in, making you listen harder. Fading in the guitars with a softened vocal line, the over all mix here is once again dark yet somehow mysterious, suggesting that this could just be an introduction to what is to come. As it progresses, things become clearer bit by bit as different elements come into being, from a plucked lead line through to bass heavy rhythms, all kept relatively soft but still packing a punch. Whilst this track seems to differ from the ones before it, I really like this song and would place it amongst my favourites from the album purely because it demonstrates the bands ability to craft tracks which are heavy, without relying on reverb or distortion to do the work for them – this track is clean yet packs as much punch as some of the heaviest tracks I’ve come across. It’s a bit of a shock to the system then when Insuperabilis comes into follow on, a track which opens slow, sludgy and downright heavy once again. This track once again grabs you by the throat and slams you to the ground, then makes you thank the band for the privilege of letting them do it! Tinged with funk once again, this track seems to fit in with the outlook of the album as a whole, and also presents another track which I imagine is received damned well on the live front.
As the track fades and No Chance comes into being you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d suddenly moved onto a new album, everything seems to take a very Van Halen turn as proceedings get going – not that I’m complaining it’s just a shock! Kicking into another almighty riff and keeping the lead line going over it, this track is a stroke of sheer genius as it seems to showcase the bands abilities, almost as if they’re saying check us out and what we can do! Harmonic throughout, this is another track which is sure to get you moving along and one which I imagine will see live crowds chanting lyrics at the band – if you like your music heavy but catchy then this right here is it! Soon enough though we find ourselves on Moving Mountains to finish the album, another track which is an example of sheer brutality in musical form. Opening with a hammering riff over some rolling drums, the mix once again pulls you in, making you listen harder only to smash you in the face with guttural roaring, rolling drums and bass heavy rhythms – it’s a hell of a way to close the album but it matches the style maintained throughout.
How can I sum up what I’ve heard on this album? I guess the easiest way to put it is groove laden funky distorted melodic metal elevated beyond a simplistic tag – or something like that. Wolfcrusher have really surprised me with the album, not because of preconceptions but purely by producing an album which I can see being played a hell of a lot around here. Sure this is heavy music, but there’s tints of Devin Townsend-esque style genius behind the simple façade! Check them out but go into it open minded and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!
To find out more about Wolfcrusher, check out their Facebook page HERE.