Euan doesn’t need to wait for a full moon to release this review!

Werewolves Aussie extreme metallers, Werewolves, blast their way into 2021 with their sophomore album, ‘What A Time To Be Alive’. The album doesn’t even tickle the listener before pile-driving them headfirst into a glass table with the albums rabid opening track, ‘I Don’t Like You’. Kicking off with some Brutal Death Metal drumming behind a more black metal guitar riff, it’s obvious from the start that we have an album that is happy to blend different aspects of extreme metal.

This is more apparent when the track even dabbles in Thrash around the halfway mark. The Vocals from Sam Bean are intense and engaging, delivered with pure evil, and it’s got me hooked. One thing I immediately dig is that the lyrics are actually comprehensible, which is rare for this kind of music, but it’s nice to hear exactly how brutal the lyrics are first hand. On the third track, ‘Mission Statement’, the rhythm section gives a slight industrial feel. Whether this was intentional or not, that percussive element gives even more impact to this already devastating sound Werewolves have crafted on this album.

The humorous song titles and cheeky dialogue samples in between songs lend to the overall fun vibe that this album gives off. Even though the music is brutal, its still catchy and even boogie-able. I can definitely see myself skanking to the fourth track ‘Crushgasm’. The instrumentation is solid and impressive. Everyone is tightly nit together and nothing feels rushed or overplayed either. Every sonic piece of this savage puzzle is right where it needs to be. I also want to give a shout out to the stunningly striking artwork by Mitchell Nolte. There’s a savage beauty in the striking crimson clashing with the pale greys. Im not usually one to compliment album artwork but this really grabbed my eye.

Werewolves have crafted a deadly concoction of extreme metal magic. Taking elements from across the genre and fusing them together with perfect precision creates and astonishingly chaotic assault on the senses.

Werewolves – What A Time To Be Alive is out on the 29th January on Prosthetic Records