When We Were Wolves

Heartless EP

Written by: MN on 01/09/2014 22:44:34

Welsh five-piece When We Were Wolves are a relatively new outfit on the stupidly overpopulated metalcore/post-hardcore scene, and this scenario often means that a lot of something-core gets sidelined as "just another metalcore group with chugging breakdowns and angry tough-guy vocals". There are however some bands that produce a "typical" metalcore with commendable success. One of these bands is Parkway Drive who play textbook metalcore, but with such conviction and white-knuckle tightness that there is no denying their rightful position as one of the leaders of the genre. As for When We Were Wolves, a band that clearly have found inspiration in their Australian counterparts, they had their first EP receive mixed reception. I personally felt that the glimpses of greatness in this record were a bit widespread, and actually highlighted by their album closer "Hounds". Soundwise, they straddle the border of post-hardcore, metalcore and nu-metal? (I'll explain this later). Similar bands include Of Mice & And Men and Miss May I. Now set to release their sophomore EP "Heartless", When We Were Wolves need to prove that they can develop and maintain some validity.

With a somewhat mediocre view of the band, I put on "Heartless" to find myself surprised at the album opener, "Dying On The Inside" which is a much better song than anything they have released before, frankly, it is groovy as hell and packs a strong punch with catchy riffs and heavy drumming. It is not a song that foreshadows something extremely unique but they have definitely tightened the knots on their machinery. "The Devil You Know" continues in a similar vein with a more easily accessible and catchy approach, though with a lot more aggression on the vocal parts, where the deep growls are mildly impressive. Despite being in tune and soaring above the chorus parts, the clean vocals are very typical of this style of metalcore, and I do not feel especially intrigued by them. "Blind" completely throws me out of the slumber, as there is so much more substance to this track, and damn it reminds me of Slipknot, which is in no way a bad thing, (hence my relation to nu-metal earlier). "Confession" continues in a somewhat similar vein, but it is eventually retired by the same mundane clean vocals, thus losing its charm. I guess this is, in the end, a matter of taste.

On this record, When We Were Wolves produced two absolutely brilliant songs, and some mildly decent ones. That being said, their sound has definitely evolved from their very uninspiring first release to a sound that hints at brilliance. This is hopefully a continuous trend because there is potential here.

6

Download: Heartless, Blind, Dying On The Inside
For The Fans Of: Northlane, Killswitch Engage, The Color Morale
Listen: facebook.com

Release date 22.09.2014
Imperial Music

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