EP Review: Shaving the Werewolf - God Whisperer
Reviewed by Patrick O'Reilly
I cannot decide if Shaving the Werewolf is a genius band name or one of the worst band names ever! What I am decided on though is that the music contained within this EP is blistering, chaotic and frenetic... Just how I like it!
Coming out of Sweden and formed in 2010, Shaving the Werewolf play a hybrid of noise rock, grindcore and power violence. God Whisperer contains five tracks of frenzied rock and comes flying out of the traps with a quick shrill alarm followed by shrieking guitar riffs and crazed drums. This opening track is named sentient Husk’ and sets the pattern for the EP, noise, violence and mayhem.
Track two, ‘Junk Food’ lurches along with a stomach churning looping riff, that same high energy delivery and some awesome snarling vocals. I must make special mention of the vocals, they stand out for me with a real ferocity and passion, just what this style of music requires.
‘God Whisperer’ is up next and takes things up a notch, combining the blueprint of the previous tracks with a demented hardcore rave like synth riff to make for a delirious and mind bending track, highly recommended.
Track 4, ‘I Came Here to Fuck’ is a more aggressive and (slightly) slower track that ups the aggression and has a real nasty edge with its repeated screaming of the tracks title making you feel uneasy and uncomfortable.
Finally Track 5, is a real oddity, sounding like prime era nu-metal this track could easily have been written by Coal Chamber or Korn, that is until the mid section where it descends into a dirgy, syrupy mess, sludgy and dirty before the nu-metal riff returns for a final triumphant encore at the end.
The jury may still be out on the bands name but as mentioned before there is no doubt about the quality of the music, Shaving the Werewolf have crafted a monster of an EP here combining chaotic angry riffs, manic, paranoid vocals and violent outbursts of drumming that will leave you breathless but exhilarated
For fans of – Dillinger Escape Plan, Full of Hell, Cephalic Carnage, The Locust
