There are people out there that want to say rock is dead. Well it’s not and never will be. In this day and age you just have to search for it since the radio waves are pretty much all crappy pop and wannabe hip hop. Thankfully there are a few bands that are making an impact at radio and making people wake up to the fact that rock music is still alive and well. Bad Wolves are one of those bands and they have really taken the music world by storm. Back in 2017 they released their first song “Learn To Live” and that created a strong buzz about the band. Then in early 2018 they released their cover of The Cranberries classic “Zombie” and from that point they have been on fire.
Now the time has come for Bad Wolves debut album Disobey to be unleashed on the masses and it’s a pretty exceptional debut. Formed by drummer John Boeklin after he left DevilDriver, John spent a good amount of time crafting the sound and style of this new band to be different from his previous band. The end result is a crushing rhythmic assault. The addition of singer Tommy Vext adds the element of melody and a commanding force up front. The band themselves described the band as Sevendust meets Meshuggah and that is beyond true. Bad Wolves has the right amount of heavy to go along with the melodic approach.
The album itself is chock full of riffs galore, pummeling rhythms, and soaring and at times gruff vocals when needed. From the time opening track “Officer Down” starts and ends you can tell Bad Wolves are bringing quite the bite with them on this album. “No Masters” “Run For Your Life,” “Better The Devil,” and “Jesus Slaves” all have the heavy impactful feels you’d want to hear. Then there is the more melodic side of the band with songs like “Remember When,” and “Hear Me Now.” As the album draws to a close with “Toast To The Ghost” you can tell that Bad Wolves are only just beginning. All this is without the inclusion of the cover of Zombie by the way.
I was a bit worried about what the album would sound like after they hooked up with Zoltan of Five Finger Death Punch but that really didn’t affect them as much as I thought it would. The success of Zombie is astounding and I really hope the people that took an interest in the band because of that song take the time to really delve into this album and dig it. The only real criticism I have for the album is how “clean” it sounds production wise. I’d hope that their next album goes for a more “raw” approach to really encapsulate the sound of the band. And the album cover is I don’t even know. For as good as Zombie is, that really isn’t what Bad Wolves is all about. Disobey is only the first step in the right direction for Bad Wolves.
Overall Rating= 8.5/10
Bad Wolves- Disobey:
audioeclectica 