‘What on earth is this?’ Was the initial thought that came to mind throughout my first listen of the Ep by ‘Beard of Wolves’. The North Wales duo, Adam Hughes (Bass/vocals) and David Mitchell (Drums/vocals) are another example of how the amount of noise a band creates is by no means determined by the amount of people in a band because, by Jove, these two fellas are a tour de force of musical chaos that is in competition of raising hell. ‘Beard of Wolves’ EP is a testosterone dripping whirlwind of garage, drum and bass, rave-synth rock that is nothing short of abrasive and relentless; it will send you searching for a padded room (or not, depending on what you are into) you can use to repeatedly smash your body into some walls just so you can release some of the energy generated in the 13 minutes or so it takes to listen to these 4 tracks.
‘Beard of Wolves’’ single ‘Wet Mouth’ doesn’t hang around. This band does not believe in easing their listeners into their chaotic world, they fling you in as hard and as fast as the mosh pit you will find yourself immersed in; attack! Attack! Attack! - Their world isn’t for the weak. Drums are thunderous and smashed to within an inch of their lives and the bass is so racing it can’t not elevate your heart beat a notch or two. Decipher what you want from the title, but whatever overtly suggestive or explicit image you deduct probably means you’re right on the money; it’s heavy, fuzzy, sexy and filthy. You will probably want/need a shower afterwards if only to wash away the scent of the overzealous male adolescent sexuality that oozes from the track.
The next tracks’ title is a nod to the epic Star Wars series and ‘My Father Drives the Death Star’ captures the Sci-Fi elements perfectly. The opening of this song is a slight change in direction with an epic synth, glam rock intro with falsetto vocals that is almost verging on Nu-rave, but all that changes when the chorus kicks in with its dense drum n bass and aggressive vocal; it’s the kind of track that would send any E popping nu-raver crying to find their favourite come down comfort blanket. Most of all, this track sums of the playful ethos of the band and you can imagine David and Adam coming up with the idea of the song after watching a Star Wars film hammered, and thrashing around in a garage throughout the completion of the track.
If nothing has got you moving so far the growling incessant beats of ‘Date Fight’ will surely be the one; it’s simple yet power house breakdown and repetitive, crowd rousing lyrics are so catchy and infectious that after a couple of listens you will already know the words (which will be stuck in your head for days), and you’ll long to hear this at your Saturday night haunt so you can dance madly around to it. It wouldn’t surprise me if at some point in the future you hear ‘Date Fight’ on TV as the soundtrack for a promo for a new TV programme showcasing a group of friends off their faces, trashing places and having a good time.
With Roaring drum rolls and echoey vocals ‘Dead Heart’ finishes off the rock-synth mash up. Again, it has the qualities of a rave, garage electro- dance track with its’ fuzzy energetic guitars, repetitive dance inducing drum beat and schizophrenic synth; you will be moving whether you want to or not. The call and response vocals between the duo maintain the snappiness of these 4 tracks but will also translate fantastically in a live setting, and I can already imagine the crowd ferociously singing the chorus to ‘Dead Heart’ back to its’ creator.
‘Beard of Wolves’ have created an EP that is 13 minutes or so of bedlam, excitement and fuzzy filth that will leave you with a music induced concussion- bloody marvellous!
Words: Gina Kershaw
‘Beard of Wolves’’ single ‘Wet Mouth’ doesn’t hang around. This band does not believe in easing their listeners into their chaotic world, they fling you in as hard and as fast as the mosh pit you will find yourself immersed in; attack! Attack! Attack! - Their world isn’t for the weak. Drums are thunderous and smashed to within an inch of their lives and the bass is so racing it can’t not elevate your heart beat a notch or two. Decipher what you want from the title, but whatever overtly suggestive or explicit image you deduct probably means you’re right on the money; it’s heavy, fuzzy, sexy and filthy. You will probably want/need a shower afterwards if only to wash away the scent of the overzealous male adolescent sexuality that oozes from the track.
The next tracks’ title is a nod to the epic Star Wars series and ‘My Father Drives the Death Star’ captures the Sci-Fi elements perfectly. The opening of this song is a slight change in direction with an epic synth, glam rock intro with falsetto vocals that is almost verging on Nu-rave, but all that changes when the chorus kicks in with its dense drum n bass and aggressive vocal; it’s the kind of track that would send any E popping nu-raver crying to find their favourite come down comfort blanket. Most of all, this track sums of the playful ethos of the band and you can imagine David and Adam coming up with the idea of the song after watching a Star Wars film hammered, and thrashing around in a garage throughout the completion of the track.
If nothing has got you moving so far the growling incessant beats of ‘Date Fight’ will surely be the one; it’s simple yet power house breakdown and repetitive, crowd rousing lyrics are so catchy and infectious that after a couple of listens you will already know the words (which will be stuck in your head for days), and you’ll long to hear this at your Saturday night haunt so you can dance madly around to it. It wouldn’t surprise me if at some point in the future you hear ‘Date Fight’ on TV as the soundtrack for a promo for a new TV programme showcasing a group of friends off their faces, trashing places and having a good time.
With Roaring drum rolls and echoey vocals ‘Dead Heart’ finishes off the rock-synth mash up. Again, it has the qualities of a rave, garage electro- dance track with its’ fuzzy energetic guitars, repetitive dance inducing drum beat and schizophrenic synth; you will be moving whether you want to or not. The call and response vocals between the duo maintain the snappiness of these 4 tracks but will also translate fantastically in a live setting, and I can already imagine the crowd ferociously singing the chorus to ‘Dead Heart’ back to its’ creator.
‘Beard of Wolves’ have created an EP that is 13 minutes or so of bedlam, excitement and fuzzy filth that will leave you with a music induced concussion- bloody marvellous!
Words: Gina Kershaw