Werewolves have been consistently and frequently pumping out solid releases since their 2020 debut The Dead Are Screaming. This super trio of some of Oz metal’s most brutal musos should be familiar to any fans of fast death metal. Dave Haley (Abramelin, Psycroptic, Ruins, The Amenta), Matt Wilcock (Abramelin, The Bezerker, ex-Akercocke), and Sam Bean (The Bezerker, The Senseless) are no strangers to throwing down fast, intense metal.
The first track of their latest album throws you into the deep end. There are no samples or keys to slide us into this den of werewolves. ‘Under the Ground’ kicks the album straight into a fast, blasting riff, which ends with the sample, “You’re a fucking pathetic cunt”. Cheers, fellas.
Straight away, the boys are telling us that the tone of last year’s track ‘We Are Better Than You’ hasn’t gone anywhere. This is a big heavy middle finger up to the metal world. Werewolves play fast and heavy and don’t care if you like it or not.
I should stipulate, this isn’t some meathead full speed ahead noise (although I would probably enjoy that). The riffs and changes in these songs are testament to the talented, “seasoned” (not old) musicians putting this together, and there is enough variety throughout this new one to keep it interesting. ‘Destroyer of Worlds’ is smack bang in the middle and slows things down slightly for a moment, but only to build a menacing sound to lead us into another speedy aural assault. This isn’t someone’s art project or concept album. Werewolves are here to tear you apart with intense riffage and speed. The production is fantastic too. I can hear every skin hit, every string plucked, and it’s all loud and clear as day.
Werewolves is born of, in Sam’s words, “no effort at all”. It’s a fun project made by very talented metalheads, and it absolutely works. My Enemies Look and Sound Like Me is Werewolves’ fourth full length since 2020. I can name more than a few bands who have released far less than that during a much longer time period, and with far less diminishing returns. I feel like Werewolves should keep striking while the iron is hot. Every release has been an improvement on the last, and My Enemies is no exception.
