No mercy for Werewolves.
Keeping up with their ever-frantic pace of one release per year, Sam Bean (vocals/bass, Faustian, The Berzerker), Matt Wilcock (guitar, Abramelin, The Berzerker, The Antichrist Imperium, ex-Akercocke), and David Haley (drums, Abramelin, Consummation, Faustian, Psycroptic, The Amenta, Ruins…) present their seventh album, You’re Weak And You Know You’re Weak.
The three furies don’t wait a single second to throw their hatred right in our faces with Uroboric Fuckwit, the opening track that kicks off at breakneck speed and doesn’t even slow down to let the vocalist complete the deluge of violence and technical prowess. There’s a particularly heavy section followed by an even more menacing one, then the band launches into Tank Habit, where once again any notion of respite is completely obliterated by the screeching vocals and devastating riffs – somewhere between Black and Death Metal – that regularly erupt while incorporating sinister touches. I was tempted to think the band would slow down with the intro to Burn It to the Ground, but I was sorely mistaken, given the overwhelming wave that takes over and tramples us all the way to the groovy mosh part before drowning us in its dissonance, then exploding as if nothing had happened all the way through Triple Negative. No surprises this time around, the band clearly showcases its aggression with an abrasive old-school touch that openly flirts with grindcore, leading up to the unambiguous message “you cunts, you fucking cunts,” which serves as the perfect introduction to the virulent and dissonant So Say All of Us, which immediately takes over with a similar approach where blast beats and furious riffs clash on equal footing. You can also sense the complexity of certain sections on this track, just as you can on the far more oppressive Fields of Suicide, where backing vocals create a suffocating atmosphere while the three guys go wild on their instruments, crafting breathless, top-notch riffs. The first real moment to catch our breath comes with the dissonant introduction to We March, the longest track, which takes its time building up its oppressive atmosphere before letting the vocals return and guide us through this gradually intensifying firestorm. Once again, no one will be surprised to hear the rhythm section erupt before the wolves begin to howl, leading into The Song of Stupid Men, which hits us hard and knocks us back to the ground with a sometimes catchy edge – especially during the chorus or that tapping section. The final is just like the album as a whole, and it’s ultimately with title track You’re Weak and You Know You’re Weak, that the band delivers one last blow, ramping up their intensity to give us one final chance to break our necks to the sweet sound of their riffs.
Few bands can keep up this pace! Werewolves haven’t changed their formula, and You’re Weak And You Know You’re Weak is an album that tramples everything in its path, masterfully blending Black and Death Metal at the highest level!
90/100