Alpha WolfMono

Young pups Alpha Wolf are the latest Aussie collective to have a swing in the sonic beat-down game, following in the wake of local contemporaries like Void of Vision and Greyscale labelmates Graves. But here’s the thing: despite a reputation for perpetuating endless chug-a-thons, ‘beat-down’ as a musical sub-genre is a surprisingly complex beast. Done well, it can effectively channel aggression and self-loathing into the perfect empowering gym soundtrack (i.e. any 2000s-era album from The Acacia Strain). Done poorly, and it ends up sounding like, well… an endless chug-a-thon with almost no discernible variance (i.e. almost every bottom-feeder deathcore act).

On their debut full-length Mono, Alpha Wolf attempt to tackle this dichotomy head-on and walk away with a concise yet somewhat muddled mission statement. The first half of Mono hits like a sledgehammer, with a neglected tale of abuse in Ward Of The State and the bludgeoning mid-section of No. 2. Other highlights include the infectious grooves of schizophrenic lead single #104 and the painfully melancholic heights of Golden Fate; Gut Ache. However, by the record’s second half, the desire for variation leaves the album feeling mostly uneven at best.

“[H]ighlights include the infectious grooves of schizophrenic lead single #104 and the painfully melancholic heights of Golden Fate; Gut Ache.”

Cuts like Shinobi Naku, My Untold Memoir and the album’s title track serve as glorified interludes, awash in plaintive lead riffs and shouted, echo-chamber vocals, while Epiphobia is little more than a two-minute breakdown tacked on at the album’s end. Although these instrumental segues help to break up the album’s flow and add much-needed breathing room, they offer very little in terms of replay value. Things improve slightly with crushing closer Devon Street, but by then it’s too little too late to prevent Mono from coming across as a padded-out EP, rather than a fully-realised album concept.

Much like its namesake, Mono is best enjoyed when Alpha Wolf stick to one thing: writing traditionally structured, heavy jams. Hopefully with greater experimentation in composition and textures, the band might be able to lead the pack rather than follow it.

STICK THIS NEXT TO: Sworn In, Graves, Emmure
STANDOUT TRACKS: Ward Of The State, Golden Fate; Gut Ache, #104

Mono will be available from 14th July via Greyscale Records.
Alpha Wolf will hit the road throughout July and August, supporting Thy Art Is Murder alongside Cursed Earth and Deadlights.

THY ART IS MURDER – DEATH SENTENCE TOUR
feat. Cursed Earth, Deadlights, & Alpha Wolf

Thursday 27th July – Perth – Badlands Bar
Friday 28th July – Adelaide – Enigma Bar
Saturday 29th July – Melbourne – Max Watts
Wednesday 2nd August – Canberra – The Basement
Thursday 3rd August – Wollongong – Uni Bar
Friday 4th August – Sydney – Oxford Arts Factory
Saturday 5th August – Newcastle – The Cambridge Hotel
Thursday 10th August – Brisbane – Crowbar
Friday 11th August – Noosa – Villa Noosa
Saturday 12th August – Gold Coast – Miami Tavern