As a musician who has tested the waters of just about every genre of music one could think humanly possible, there has only been a small to moderate variety that has kept its place in the musical library of my heart and soul.
Over the years, there has been a slipping of the rope over one brand in particular. A slow and casual turning of the captains wheel. And certainly not in its favor. Surely I’m not the only one that has felt this absolute disconnect over the years. Are we really growing older in our acknowledgement of what drives us or have we just grown flat out bored with it?
While these inquisitions can certainly apply to any aspect of our lives, in this case musically, the particular genre that has lead me here is…drum roll please…METAL. While there still remains a fistful of bands and albums that have shed light on its overgrown path of redemption and victory, there has been one particular band that has continually redefined the many subgenres of metal that we have all grown to know and love.
With their 2014 release, “The Birthright” EP, Brother Wolf shows absolutely no fear of, and zero intimidation by the adversity they’ve faced over the years. All the while dismantling everything we thought we knew Brother Wolf was capable of. “The Birthright” paves the way for fans old and new alike with its opening track, “Like Father, Like Son,” fiercely and perilously charging forth like a savage war horse into vulnerable expectation. And it is without defeat. Throughout the album, Brother Wolf fearlessly unlocks and opens wide the door for every falsifier and internal “demon” and stares it right in the face. Eagerly and unflinchingly calling them out. This album is a very personal endeavor for the band, to say the least.
But this isn’t your grand mammy’s metal. Front man, Cody Hamann, viciously dominates the album with his unrelenting screams and his even more entrancingly haunting harmonies. The brutal honesty in his words and voice can only be expressed by a man who has lived the experience first hand right at the battle front of enemy lines. The eruptive and geniously sporadic guitar work of Wesley Galles and Tommy Higgins absolutely speaks for itself. And you couldn’t have a genuine Brother Wolf album without the brilliance of their ambient overtones or, even more, the sheer unshakable grit and technicality of bassist James Benson Cameron. Together, with drummer J.P. Wade, who brings to the table an inconceivable measure of intricate and culminating hand and footwork, Brother Wolf brings forth an album of undeniable force and fury that is passionate and true to its core. With remnants of sounds reminiscent to Circa Survive, A Plea For Purging, Elitist, and early Mars Volta, this album is sure to gratify and please the masses.
“The Birthright” EP is without a doubt one for the books.