Wolfbrigade "A D-Beat Odyssey" LP
[Havoc]
With a title like "A D-Beat Odyssey" what could you possibly expect from this 12" EP but crushing Swedish crust that represents some of the finest material these guys have unloaded since changing their name over from Wolfpack? Sadly this is their final recorded output, but it's definitely a forceful EP that hits hard and leaves you wanting more, which is a good note to go out on. This is their basic framework of heavy, driving hardcore/punk with a metallic sort of sound and crunch, so expect midpaced to moderately fast chord progressions with pounding basslines, gruff vocal yells, the works. Poffen from Totalitär handles the vocals on a few of these tracks since Wolfbrigade's frontman was having trouble with a tumor in his throat (the same reason the band decided to call it a day). "Långt Fall" uses a classic driving tempo with lots of subtle melodic tinges, and "Jag Mot Dig" is similar but slightly heavier at times, whereas "Idioternas Parad" slows things down and has a groove to it that totally crushes and reminds me of something Entombed might have done on "Wolverine Blues". Amazing. This is one of the best tracks the band has ever fucking recorded. I love it. I like the production as well. There's a little too much high-end/midrange noise floating around, and the vocals sound sort of loud as a result, but the rhythm section is thick and the guitar tone comes a little closer to that classic Swedish death metal churn, which works very well. So everything definitely comes out sounding explosive and in your face, and that amps up the intensity of the songs. A little more clarity and dropping the vocals back in against the guitars would be my only suggestions. The sleeve has a cool painting on the cover that's atypical for this style of music, depicting a zombiefied punk with a beat up guitar sitting atop an obliterated girder and overlooking a decaying cityscape. The back cover is a more traditional arrangement of bullets and a band photo, all in high contrast black and white. The black and white insert contains all of the lyrics (in Swedish) with brief descriptions in English, as well as some liner notes from the band what with this being their final recording and everything. The songs seem to deal largely with general hardships in life, from aging and losing your motivation, to fear, depression, etc. A killer EP. Worth it for "Idioternas Parad" alone... definitely a fitting end to their respected run in the scene. (7/10)
Running time - 15:00 (approximately), Tracks: 6
[Notable tracks: Långt Fall, Jag Mot Dig, Idioternas Parad]
Havoc Records - http://www.havocrex.com

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