Album Review: Werewolves – You’re Weak And You Know You’re Weak

Album Review: Werewolves – You’re Weak And You Know You’re Weak

Reviewed by Sam Jones

Seven years. Seven albums. The rate at which these guys churn out material is incredible. Formed in 2019 out of Melbourne, Australia, Werewolves have made a reputation for being ruthlessly uncompromising given their black/death metal attack that generates utterly searing, flesh-ripping music. With early records like The Dead Are Screaming, What A Time To Be Alive and From The Cave To The Grave, Werewolves rapidly established themselves as a devastating extreme metal force. As time has gone on they have only moved from strength to strength, and once again with Back On Black Werewolves plan You’re Weak And You Know You’re Weak for an October 9th release date. Featuring the same uninterrupted lineup across every record Werewolves are poised for round seven, and if past releases are anything to go by this new opus will be another flurry of carnage. It’s always a treat to see these guys release new material and thus I was hyped to dive in once more.

Werewolves have never shown mercy to their audience and the opening seconds remind just what makes them such an appealing extreme metal band; vicious vocals paired with songwriting assured to strip the flesh off your bones. What gives Werewolves their edge has been their longstanding insistence on quality production; doing so enables their riffs and blast beats and developing songwriting to hit you when they most desire. In addition, the production herein amplifies the strength and bass thrown about by the bass drums and resonance conjured upon these blast beats ceasing.

The band’s black-and-white, nigh juvenile approach to black/death subject matter means they don’t need to write lyrics or music that tries appealing to some avant-garde or intellectual quality. Since the band pay no illusions towards what their sound is, nor what their audience approaches them for, it gives them freedom to truly cut loose and make each track as heinous and rampant as they wish. It’s pure carnage and bloodlust in sonic form since Werewolves never slow down for more brooding sequences; there are times where their songwriting steadies itself for riffs and licks moderately, but then the tempo drastically reasserts itself as does the intensity as does your heartbeat. If Werewolves aren’t imbuing you with cardiovascular difficulties it wouldn’t be a Werewolves record.

This record, now the band’s seventh full length release, really drives home just how much they truly want to reduce their audience to protozoan plasm given how unyielding and relentless their sound is. Other than a handful of instances across the record they’re dishing blast beats out with every second you’re glued to it. It’s nice to acknowledge the drums here beat the jug the fun and chaos the riffs throw out as the entire kit is nicely audible across the record’s duration and is a strong aspect as to why Werewolves have retain such sublime consistency. Knowing the band’s lineup has remained unchanged since their inception has allowed them to refine their sound with chemistry that clearly works between the three of them.

There’s also the album’s length as well. In nine tracks Werewolves pour themselves into thirty-three minutes of unbridled slaughter with you strapped to the table amidst every instrument the band have in their arsenal primed and sharpened and ready to go. There’s a lot being thrown at you at once and they manage to pack it all into tracks roughly three minutes a-piece, which makes for some rapid fire listening. There can be that sensation of thinking you’ve missed so much since that initial listen will blindside you so much with how much aggression Werewolves throw at you but, that makes repeat listens so worth it.

In conclusion, You’re Weak And You Know You’re Weak is Werewolves at their most belligerent and unfiltered. They do not care what anyone thinks of them and that attitude is strongly reflected in their sound. Thirty-three minutes of unmitigated murder aimed solely for your heart as the band beat on your chest with rapacious vigour. It’s nothing new concerning Werewolves’ typical output nor has the intensity differed from what their yearly releases would otherwise suggest but when you dip your head into a Werewolves record you’ll come away with a bloodied stump, for they’ll shred it from your vertebrae with ease. It’s always a great time with these mad Aussies.

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