Never ones to do anything in halves, Aussie metalcore behemoths Alpha Wolf return with the announcement of their third full length album 'Half Living Things'.
Following the landmark success of Alpha Wolf’s first album with vocalist Lochie Keogh, A Quiet Place To Die (AQPTD), many weren’t expecting the group to drastically change their sound. Why would they? AQPTD not only demonstrated that the group had discovered a winning formula; it also more or less trademarked the use of pitch-shifters amongst modern-day metal, characterised by high-pitched, squealing guitar riffs and brutal, open breakdowns.
This signature sound not only became synonymous with the now Melbourne-based outfits’ sound but also exerted a considerable influence on the rest of their peers.
Keep up with the latest music news, festivals, interviews and reviews here.
View this post on Instagram
When the album cover of Half Living Things was released, showcasing an illustration of a hooded figure holding a boom-box in a graffiti-laden landscape, many fans were pleasantly surprised to find that they were in for something new – or should I say nü.
This didn’t come as a shock to everyone. Over the last few years, nü metal has made a massive comeback in the modern-day metal scene, and Alpha Wolf has been a band that embraced the Y2K aesthetic long before its recent resurgence. So in a way, it felt like a natural progression for the group.
Indeed, it was. While many other acts have heavily leaned into the sounds of their childhood influences, Alpha Wolf’s third effort has taken a 20-year-old genre and made it entirely their own, showcasing their trademark intensity in a whole new light. It’s still the Alpha Wolf that we know and love, but infinitely more demented and technical than ever before.
Track-by-track, Half Living Things hits you with fear-inducing, maniacal metal. From the moment you click play, you’re in Alpha Wolf’s custom-made nightmare and no matter which way you turn, there is no escape.
‘Double-Edge Demise’ sees Keogh count in a manic breakdown with snarled “Tik, Toks”; ‘Pretty Boy’ brings in huge downtuned riffs, ravaged gutturals and grunge-infused cleans; while ‘Mangekyō’ delivers breakdowns that most would reserve for their album’s defining moment in its opening 20 seconds. ‘A Terrible Day For Rain’ delivers feelings of surging anxiety, with its stomping rhythms, chugging riffs, and eerie programming making it feel as if you’re trapped in a room with your four biggest fears surrounding you from every angle.
It’s unbridled, seething anger at its finest – the kind of unrestrained aggression that many wouldn’t have encountered since they first heard Slipknot’s Iowa. Yet, it manages to surpass even that benchmark, both lyrically and musically.
I know, I know, that statement probably made a few ‘maggots’ out there ready for war, but it’s not one made lightly – Half Living Things is genuinely that unhinged. It’s a welcome changeup for the Melbourne-based outfit who have proven yet again, that they are the toughest band in Aus metal at the moment.
If you don’t believe that statement, it’s because you haven’t heard Half Living Things yet.
Label: Greyscale Records/SharpTone Records
Release: 5 April 2024
