Bad Wolves – Disobey

    Bad Wolves are already a legacy band. Made up of former members of Divine Heresy, God Forbid, Devildriver and In This Moment, the expectation was always going to be high for their debut album.

    The good news is that Bad Wolves more than rise to the challenge. Disobey is a modern metal debut for the ages. It’s not quite an instant classic, but it as good as you would imagine born from the pedigree it has.

    This is one of the heaviest yet most easily accessible metal releases to come out in a long while. Featuring massive create big tech metal riffs that hark back to the Divine Heresy sound of old, a tight and devastating rhythm section and the mesmerising voice of Tommy Vext. He brings his A game on this album, showing not only is he one of the most versatile singers in the game, but he may be about to become metal’s newest superstar.

    His harsh vocals are right up there with the best in the business, but where he really shines are in his clean vocals, where he is allowed to open and really let rip. You feel every single emotion he wants you to feel. No Masters has a chorus custom built for arenas, and really soars above the track taking it to another level entirely.

    The much-touted cover of Zombie by the Cranberries is a respectful updating of a classic song, that one again shows the vulnerability that Vext is able to conjure up seemingly out of thin air. It’s a pitch-perfect cover that pays homage to the original while putting a different spin on it.

    There are shades of everything this band has built throughout their respective careers ‘Run for your life’ sounds like Iron Maiden trying their hand at writing a Pantera song and sounds exactly how you think that would go.

    Hear me now has a really cinematic feel to it and feels like a genuine attempt at writing a big rock anthem, it’s sound huge and allows the record a little breathing room while allowing the band to spread their wings a little bit.

    Jesus Slaves and Toast to the Ghost are the two heaviest tracks on the album sounding like Lamb of God getting into a scrap with Meshuggah, they both rely on big massive concrete slab riffs that will pound your brain into dust, while still having the groove and power to them to keep those horns raised and heads banging.

    Bad Wolves have set out to prove a point with this record. They have come out of the womb like an angry bloodthirsty screaming xenomorph set to conquer the world. Feeling like they are already a few albums in. It’s very rare that a new band comes along and hits it so far out of the park on their first go, and I think that speaks to the experience of the amassed members. They are all veterans and have created a monster of an album that distils down all the best parts of what brought them to the dance and leaves you with a brand new album to obsess over in the process.

    Disobey is released today (11th May 2018) through Eleven Seven Music.

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