Hmm is this some kind of conspiracy between Ave Noctum’s editor in chief and Prosthetic Records. This is the second album the label are putting out in August by acts that I have previously raved about.

Is this being done to put some pep in my step during this rainy washout summer? Lull me into some false sense of security before blatting me with shit music and some other shit maelstroms to blight my autumn (for children of all abilities).

Well tin foil hat needs notwithstanding, the fourth regurgitation by my fave cave man Aussie death metallers Werewolves offers exactly what I expected and wanted.  These Melbournites have released an album a year since the rancid plague era (2020) and My Enemies slots in perfectly amongst the bloodied bones of its predecessors.

If you like your Death Metal brutal, in your face and devoid of pretention Werewolves are for you. No dilly dallying, no torture porn and mash potato slam dances just pure raging lycanthropic frenzy!  With that being said the album is not devoid of groove and nuance. There is plenty here that will get your fists pumping as well as making your face gurn in pure ecstatic abandon. David Haley’s drumming flits seamlessly from crushing blasts to groovy thrash throughout the 9 tracks whilst Matt Wilcock lays down riffs sharp enough to strip sinew.  I gotta give some love to Sam Bean – whilst his bass playing is mighty fine it is his vocal delivery that gets me every time. I understand that there is post production effects added in but the mix of rasp, clean and guttural vocals is simply wonderful, well wonderful in a blood-soaked terror kinda way. The style which mixes and changes throughout each song is reminiscent of the still amazing transformation of David in John Landis masterpiece – An American Werewolf In London.  For me it sounds like Bean is wrestling with the beast inside him on each track.

Opener “Under the Ground” is relentless from the get go – mad riffing and machinegun drums it swings from mad grinding chaos to a spiky death metal madness – so far so Werewolves.

Now on my 6th listen I start to notice some differences in production (I had a quick flick back to past releases) – the clarity of all the instruments is very refined. Talking of clarity – Bean’s clean vocals display a sneering preciseness that bring to mind Jeff Walker and Travis Ryan – in fact I would prod (with sharp pointy teeth) and Carcass or Cattle Decap’ fan towards these Aussies.

The title track is a bloody slab of nasty death metal and “Bring To Me the Kill” is as vicious and frenzied as its title.

“Brace For Impact” has a bit of a hardcore intro before going Scandi DM with some crushing beatdown bits. Proper knuckledragging whilst headbanging fare.

Now Werewolves like to slow things down. It’s not all about howling at the moon and ripping the heads off bobbies on escalators. Sometimes you gotta stop and smell the graveyard roses and maybe cock your leg on em.  “Dogknotted“ on The Dead are Screaming was one such moment and “Harvest of the Skulls “ of From the Cave to the Grave another.  This latest album has “Destroyer of Worlds “ which gives off big ol’ Satyricon vibes, striding around in its big leather pants with its hair canine cojones lolling out of the splits made by lycanthropic metamorphosis.  It’s atmospheric and midnight black – I am getting some Thorns vibes from it as well.  “Neanderhell” that follows it is a return to rabid ear ravishment – humanity is doomed!  This continues into “I Hate Therefore I am” a philosophy for the modern age.

The band still keep their tongues in their bloodied cheeks – “I Knew Nothing Then and I know Less Now” makes me grin and gurn in equal measure – just as “We Are Better than You” did on their last release.  The final track “Do Not Hold Me Back” is about as pissed off as anything I have heard recently.  “May your children all fuck up and die. I leave you nothing I hope you catch the plague” Someone certainly put the buttery knife back in these guy’s vegemite and they have utilised the final 5 minutes of the album to unleash. Razor sharp riffs and a little of the Blackened influence I mentioned earlier blasts through timid human flesh to bring things to a close.

These Werewolves certainly are Swearwolves and they’re dirty mouths make a fucking great noise. Howlingly good!

(8.5/10 Matt Mason)  

https://www.facebook.com/werewolvesinhell

https://werewolvesdeathmetal.bandcamp.com/album/my-enemies-look-and-sound-like-me