Tuesday 15 December 2015

Wolves Of Winter - S/T (Album Review)


Release date: January 09th 2016. Label: Self Released. Format: CD/DD

Wolves Of Winter – Tracklisting

Astrothoughts
A New Reality
Tooth And Nail
Start Of The Season
The Blind Leading The Blind
Devil's Kiss
Rubber Band
Childs Reasoning
Manipulation
Try Till Dead

Band Members:

Josh McGee, David Weaver, Mike Horn

Review:

Wolves Of Winter debut S/T album is a very heavy affair that mixes desert rock, fuzz, psych and doom for one exciting ride. Opening track – Astrothoughts – is what you would expect from a band such as Wolves Of Winter. Heavy and hazy psych based riffs with great vocals to match. The one thing that makes Wolves Of Winter such an interesting band is their take on 70s Classic Doom spliced with a more modern Desert/Stoner Rock sound. There are times when the band unleashes a simple trippy riff that gives this album a delicious edge.

Second track – A New Reality – sees the band opt for a doomier laidback approach that allows the band focus on the vocals and lyrics and it’s an entertaining slice of Doom/Desert Rock. These guys have a similar sound to Witchrider who released a great album last year. Though you won’t care especially when the band start to play some classic dual guitar based riffs with impressive drumming to match.

There’s nothing progressive here as most of songs run between three to four minutes in length. This is a band who has written a true rock and roll album that’s built for two things. Entertainment and high octane riffs. Fans of QOTSA may also get a kick from this album especially on songs such as Tooth And Nail.

The thing I like most about the album (apart from the riffs of course) is the lyrics as Wolves Of Winter have written some great lyrics on the album. Very easy to remember so you can sing-along in the comfort of your own home or with a group of your friends. Do one thing though, play this album as loud as you can. It’s the only way to experience this album. Wolves Of Winter do experiment with their sound at different moments on the album. You can hear slight traces of almost Thrash based riffs and heavier vocals appearing through out the album. It’s when the band fully explore their Doom Metal sound the album takes a more sinister approach as the mood becomes slightly creepy indeed.

My fave track on the album has to be – The Blind Leading The Blind. A cool, sombre and heavy as heck song that creates a doomy desert rock vibe you’ll find very hard to resist. It’s purely an instrumental affair that captures some of the albums more reflective and heaviest moments.

One of the loudest songs on the album – Devil’s Kiss – sees the band unleash a torrent of violent noises. It starts off rather innocently enough but about two minutes in, the band turn into dangerous psychedelic thrash based riffsters. I didn’t expect that at all. A very strange song to include on the album but it’s good to see Wolves Of Winter turning into a more fearsome unit.

The production on the album is impressive through out though I do think the vocals could of done with more volume being added to them as they’re drowned out at times especially towards the end of the album. That minor complaint aside, Wolves Of Winter debut album is an excellent album that will appeal to both fans of the Doom/Stoner Metal genres. These guys are already getting a great reputation and fanbase within the Doom/Stoner Metal community and I can see these guys only getting bigger once they release this album. Check this out as Wolves Of Winter deserve the recognition coming their way.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Wolves Of Winter for the promo. Wolves Of Winter S/T will be available on CD/DD from Jan 09th 2016.

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