REVIEW: Alpha Wolf - A Quiet Place to Die [2020]
Artist: Alpha Wolf
Album: A Quiet Place to Die
In itspurest form, that is, without any intervening factor, death is the naturalconclusion to life. Human beings are finite—at least when it comes to mattersof flesh—and thereby, with the beginning of life, there is an end. However,most deaths don’t occur in such a poetically simple fashion; there is often anintervening force to be accounted for. The nature of ones death,however, not only provides insight as to whether one’s conclusion to life is “natural,”but insight into who they are as a person and the sort of life they lived. Thesame as violent means beget violent ends, a peaceful life usually meets apeaceful end. Sure, there are outliers—but those are more often than not theexceptions that prove the rule. On the title track of Alpha Wolf’s sophomorefull length record, when the line “I still can’t find a quiet place to die”is harshly belted atop a grisly breakdown, the above adage is crudely hammered home—becausewhen you happen to be one of modern metalcore’s most vicious contenders, you simplydon’t get a quiet place to die. In spite of the name, Alpha Wolf’s forthcomingoffering is a rambunctious, ruthless ride that keeps the listener enthralledwith everything from groovy, head-banging leads to gut-wrenching, prolapse-inducingbreakdowns. In short, A Quiet Place to Die is a relatively diverse butthoroughly engrossing work of metalcore mastery that sees Alpha Wolf’s dominionover the scene expand into regions previously untouched.
A QuietPlace to Die sees Alpha Wolf capturing the same blistering aggression thatmade Fault such a stand-out release and combining it with some of themore melancholic moments found in Mono’s instrumentation—all, of course,with some added energy and intensity reflective of the band’s maturation throughoutthe writing process. Being blunt, A Quiet Place to Die feels somethinglike what I’d imagine cocaine feels like—a quick, rapid rush that continuallyblisters your ass for the better part of an hour before an abrupt comedown.Take, for example, the percussion that defines “Akudama” or “Acid Romance.”Here, drummer Mitch Fogarty hammers away with reckless abandon, bewildering thelistener with frantic fills and fast footwork. Elsewhere—“Bleed 4 U” comes tomind—his percussion is more subtle, lending more room for depth andintrospective atmosphere at the hands of guitarists Scottie Simpson and SabianLynch. Simpson and Lynch mirror Fogarty’s fervor during songs like “Akudama,” “Restricted(18+)” or “The Mind Bends to a Will of Its Own” without being too stiff, andstill able to capture more melancholic leads and ambience on “Don’t Ask…” or “Bleed4 U.” Some of these cuts—“Ultra-Violet Violence” or “Golden Fate; Isolate” cometo mind—see the duo riffing away with leads that have a distinctly nu-metalthrowback ring about them. Elsewhere, as on “Restricted (18+)” or “Acid Romance,”the duo lay on with a stiff pour from their modern metalcore influences, usingdance-worthy grooves in tandem with explosive breakdowns to practically inject thelistener with adrenaline right through the eardrum. All the while, bassist JohnArnold adds weight to even the most frantic or lucid moments of A QuietPlace to Die, lending depth to leads from Simpson and Lynch without overpoweringFogarty’s fierce kick drum. Alpha Wolf, in this way, create an incrediblebalance between the vast array of moving parts abundant in their dynamic,creating synergy and sinister aggression the likes of which they have spenttheir entire discography trying to capture.
As if thesheer vitriol pouring out from Alpha Wolf’s musicianship wasn’t enough, the pre-releaseperiod for A Quiet Place to Die saw the band emerging from a somewhatenigmatic “beef” of sorts. This additional fodder served only to amplify the raw,primal anger emanating from every aspect of the band’s sophomore full lengthrecord—but it was especially prominent in the vocal and lyrical element.Frontman Lochie Keogh was praised for his debut work with the band on Fault (andthe singles leading up to its release)—and his talent only continues to grow onA Quiet Place to Die. Where Keogh’s vocal diversity falls short, his energyand intensity shine, as he hammers home every syllable with undeniableconviction from the first strained screams of the record’s introductory track.What’s more is that Keogh’s lyricism has taken a turn for the better as well—withsongs like “Acid Romance” and “Golden Fate; Isolate” feeling personal anddeeply emotional, while others—“Creep” and the soon-to-be-infamous “Restricted(18+)” are call-out cuts the likes of which the heavy music community hasn’t heardsince the Emmure/The Acacia Strain beef of last decade. Keogh’s lyricism partiallyfills the relative void of diversity left by his vocals, giving each track adistinct theme and message for the listener to resonate with—some of them reflectiveand emotional, others brash and pissed.
A QuietPlace to Die is a record with a tremendous amount of hype—for good reason. Thesingle best thing about it, though, is that it manages not only to live up tothe hype surrounding it, but also exceeds even my own lofty expectations. Withonly a few songs (primarily the couple surrounding-but-not-including “Bleed 4 U”)sounding slightly samey, Alpha Wolf have created an otherwise perfect record—onewhich has failed to get old on near-countless replays (my own play count isticking close to 100 with no slow down in sight). Alpha Wolf—a band that hasexperimented with several styles of heavy music during their career—have finallyfound a sound and energy that fits them to a tee, lending itself to creatingwhat is sure to be revered as one of 2020’s best records (and few redeemingqualities).
9.5/10
For Fans Of: VCTMS, Void of Vision, Lotus Eater, Anticline
By: Connor Welsh