Album Review: Bear Mace - Slaves Of The Wolf
Reviewed by Sam Jones
I was utterly ecstatic to find Bear Mace would release their much-awaited third album for mid-2025. Formed 2012 out of Illinois, United States, the band have been consistently releasing material for well over a decade now, releasing their first album, Butchering The Colossus, back in 2017 before following that up with their 2020 record, and my entry into the world that is Bear Mace, Charred Field Of Slaughter. I and many others surely have waited diligently for the next step in Bear Mace’s career and at last, capping off the longest gap between records by the band yet, they return with Slaves Of The Wolf due out June 6th and once again independently. Their last record was simply devastating as the band’s unbridled flurries took many of us through a seismic whirlwind, and here’s hoping they can do that all over again with this upcoming opus.
As if apologising for making us wait so long for a new album, Bear Mace come out of the gates with storming ferocity as they unleash a production geared solely for tearing flesh from bone. There are some records that are faster than Bear Mace this year but few are going to match the frenzied bloodlust these guys come at us with. Using the marvels of modern production Bear Mace have crafted a record that enables its audience to feel every pummel and strike they have up their sleeves. This is especially prevalent where the drums are concerned for the bass drums inject massive bouts of energy and bass into an already-engorged mix that’s hardwired for rattling our brains. It’s the kind of album that begs, implores, to be cranked to the maximum volume to receive tenfold annihilation.
But, though Bear Mace clearly have a lot going on they want to share with us, they still went out of their way to ensure every aspect of their performance could be perceived and thus enjoyed in equal measure. The drums are these aforementioned massive dreadnoughts and the riffs bite with rabid, heinous glee but you can almost always hear the bass guitar playing along in the background too. As a result, it reshapes the record into this thoroughly well-rounded piece where every element in their arsenal isn’t only integral to the overarching structure of their songwriting but is also deemed necessary for the audience to receive too. The band haven’t favourited anything in particular, giving each member their due, their time in the sun. So whilst the guitar work is ripping concrete up alongside drums that shatter craniums, you can still choose if you wish to really pay attention to the basslines, and giving us the option for such a small part to their record showcases the craftsmanship and care Bear Mace applied herein.
Slaves Of The Wolf might on surface seem another cinderblock-dense death metal record but doing so would diminish the more complex dance the band are actually employing here. This record isn’t a straight and total piledriver for its full runtime; every track has a handful of moments where the bedlam melts away and, with sweeping strength in tow, Bear Mace pull out these momentary periods of relief where their scope lessens and gives us that chance to breathe, albeit briefly. There’s no mistaking it that Bear Mace are here to throw you into the middle of next week but their hands aren’t entirely unwrapping your skull all the time. It’s these instances where the songwriting loosens its grip on us that allow us to especially engage with wailing solos, more specific riff sequences the band deem necessary to lock on to etc. The adoption of this technique also ensures we’re constantly paying attention to Bear Mace for early on they’re showing their songwriting isn’t restricted to going down a sole path.
Vocals are often one of extreme metal’s greatest aspects in establishing a real identity. In the case of Bear Mace they’re these guttural bellows, reaching right to the depths to find these hideous, cavernous deliveries permeating across riff and drum and bassline. Yet in spite of the sheer power Bear Mace provide, and the guttural texture these vocals are coated in, they’re somehow amongst the most intelligible death metal vocals you may encounter all year. As a result whatever vocals are brought your way you’ll slip a little more deeply into the band’s performance given the recognition that you can actually follow the words. It demonstrates a fantastic cadence on their vocalists’ part, for his delivery is far from quick wherein the songwriting picks up the tempo for him. To some degree this allows us to focus more keenly on the vocals since they effectively ground our attention and prevent our getting caught up in the maelstrom that is their onslaught. The control, cadence, the discipline is all there and helps us maintain our engagement on vocals and, by extension, on everything the songwriting conjures. The record therefore becomes more “real” to us since the band give us every possible reason to keep listening, and before you realise it Slaves Of The Wolf is done.
In conclusion, Slaves Of The Wolf is a tearing and tumultuous record that is going to rope many into Bear Mace’s world of slaughter. I think it’s a little more controlled than their last record, but you could also say Slaves Of The Wolf is more disciplined, more mature in the way its been crafted too. It’s a record coming about after five years since the last and judging this against them, you can really tell the band are looking to conduct their death metal with more ideas in mind. Though their performance is steeped in carnage where riffs are hurled with murderous intentions, it’s also very easy to follow along to no doubt aided by their way of homing in on certain sequences they feel are particularly important for the audience. By doing so they streamline their mayhem somewhat where it’s just that little more accessible to newer audiences. Bear Mace were a personal favourite discovery back in 2020 and with Slaves Of The Wolf, their success is no accident. They have continued to hone their skills and here’s hoping the next record isn’t another five years off. They bring a deliciously fierce resonance to today’s death metal.
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