Werewolves - Die For Us

Angry Metal Guy

Barring a short sample, one of numerous scattered across the album, “Get fucked” is the first lyric spewed forth on fifth LP Die For Us from Australian extreme metal anarchists, Werewolves. It’s a fitting introduction to the vitriolic assault on the senses the Australian trio unleash on their latest opus of controlled chaos and destruction. Comprising a trio of accomplished underground musicians, sporting a combined resume that includes time spent in The Antichrist Imperium, The Amenta, Psycroptic, Ruins, King and Faustian among other recognizable names, Werewolves have carved a prolifically entertaining body of work since their formation a mere five years ago. The seasoned line-up and band chemistry bleeds from the ugly, hate-filled heart at the album’s blackened core. Prolific work rate aside, can Werewolves maintain their rage and bring the songwriting substance to back their vice-tight instrumental chops and unhinged brutality?

Listeners yet to catch hold of the band’s frenetic flurries of blast beats, riffs, rabid vocals, riffs and more riffs, will be greeted by a tightly coiled avalanche of modern death metal, generously spiced with a grindy edge and blackened afterburn. Speed reigns supreme, propelled by the outstanding percussion of legendary Psycroptic skinsman Dave Haley. The dizzying riffs and frantic fretwork keep pace with the album’s speedy core, as clever rhythmic twists and knuckle-dragging grooves lend the album welcome variety amidst the speed-driven assault. Snippets of the members’ various other acts occasionally seep into the pool of influences, and in terms of the grindy, punky crunch and sheer intensity of the material, common musical traits are shared with the likes of Anaal Nathrakh, Lock Up, and cult Aussie grinders The Kill.

Like previous albums, Die For Us deftly balances grindcore-like speed and white-knuckled intensity with dark humor and a vaguely accessible, fun edge. Werewolves specialize in tough-as-nails extreme metal party anthems, suitable for punching brews and lifting weights. “Die For Us” and “Beaten Back to Life” bring the speed, thunder, riffs and fuck society attitude in spades, creating an effectively sharp and rugged one-two punch to launch the album into action. “Spittle-Flecked Rant” is an especially enraged, thrash-laden deathgrind beast that would do Misery Index proud. Elsewhere, the doomy pacing and blackened moods of “Under the Urinal Moon” showcases a measured, sinister side of the band, with cool results. Overall, the material is all good, if not entirely essential, but it hits the spot and forms a well-executed beatdown. “My Hate Is Strong” delivers on its title, unleashing a dark, impressively intense experience, featuring a rapid-fire percussive assault and gnarly grooves. “We All Deserve to be Slaves” detonates whiplash speed, punk-thrash attitude, and techy flourishes to strong effect.

At a concise 35 minutes, time races by. Despite the relentless pedal-to-the-floor tempos, the charismatic vocals of Sam Bean, and deceptively dynamic writing, mostly staves off monotony and overkill. Song-to-song character lends the album a catchy edge, meanwhile the lyrical angle is crude, angry and a wee bit juvenile, a little clunky on occasion, but often wildly entertaining (especially as a resident Aussie). A minor frustrating point is for all its easily likable qualities, Die For Us still hovers around the good to very good songwriting range. Nothing misses the mark, but several songs are a bit by-the-numbers, while the sleek, punchy production is held back by a crushed mastering job. Concerns linger for the album’s longer-term staying power, however, in the moment this shit hits hard and is appealing on a base level.

Die For Us follows consistent trends from previous Werewolves albums; it’s a fun, raging slab of extreme metal goodness that pulls no punches and chews up and spits out silver bullets in all its feral, teeth-gnashing glory. It also signals the halfway point in the band’s ambitious plan to pump out ten albums in ten years. This also smacks of a great opportunity for us AMG staffers to mix up review duties in sync with the decade-long mission. The concern is with their steadfast formula and prolific turnover rate, do Werewolves have it in them to release a truly show-stopping album? Five albums deep, I’m not so sure. However, at the very least Werewolves remain an entertaining, consistently solid force to be reckoned with. Die For Us may not blow minds, but it will crack skulls and increase heart rates, so they are certainly doing something right.



Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Independent Release
Websites: werewolvesdeathmetal.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/werewolvesinhell
Releases Worldwide: July 12th, 2024

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