The Pitch: Bay area death-tinged metallic hardcore group Wolf King make a triumphant return after the explosive impact of their debut. Loyal To The Soil finds the band signed to Prosthetic Records and with plenty of fight left in them. FFO: Code Orange, Left Behind, Hellkeeper
What I Like: First of all, Into The Infinite was a f#$king ripper. If you somehow haven't heard that album yet, you missed one of the most righteous fusions of hardcore and death metal you can find. Loyal To The Soil continues with largely the same sound as its predecessor, but this time at twice the length and with major label support. Once again, the interplay of Timothy and Jacob's vocal styles is a major driving force of Wolf King's sound. The way in which the larynx-shredding hardcore screams join with the deep, almost Corpsegrinder-esque death growls is downright orgasmic. It was this element that drew me to this band to begin with, and tracks like "Greater Power" prove that the band still has the same intensity I heard on my introduction to "Deathless." When that HM-2 hook kicks off with those slowly pounding drums...you'd better hold onto your hat. And that abrupt pace shift? Magnificent. Production is clean, but not overly so. This is a band that demands some grit in the final product.
Critiques: It's a relatively simple album in terms of structure and composition. That's fairly typical of you average hardcore album, but I still feel like Wolf King are playing it a bit safe here. I'd be interested to hear them expand on their boundaries jeven ust a little bit.
The Verdict: Don't expect many bells and whistles. Loyal To The Soil, aside from the well-implemented death vocals, is a fairly typical hardcore romp filled with toe-tapping D-Beat and crunchy riffs. Fortunately, what Wolf King lack in innovation, they make up for in unadulterated attitude and unending vitality.
Flight's Fav's: Great Power, Further, Loyal To The Soil I
-Review by FlightOfIcarus
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