Stitched Up Heart – To the Wolves
Release Date: 1st September 2023
Label: Century Media
Order/Stream
Genre: Hard Rock, Alternative Metal, Industrial Metal.
FFO: In This Moment, New Years Day, September Mourning, Halestorm, Skarlett Riot.
Review By: Mark Waight
To the Wolves is the highly anticipated third album from Los Angeles Heavy Rock band Stitched Up Heart, with the band this time choosing to explore much darker themes than ever before. Following on from Never Alone (2016) and Darkness (2020) To the Wolves takes Stitched Up Heart on a completely different kind of journey. Originally formed in 2010 Stitched Up Heart have already created a huge fanbase worldwide with their unique blend of Alternative Metal, Industrial Metal and Hard Rock, this change of tact with To the Wolves is sure to generate them plenty of attention by bringing even more followers into the fold.
Stitched Up Heart is Alecia “Mixi” Demner (vocals, rhythm guitar), Merritt Goodwin (lead guitar), Randy Mathias (bass, backing vocals) and James Decker (drums, backing vocals).
Title and opening song To the Wolves kicks us off exactly as you would want it too with a pulsating and throbbing deep bass soundtrack. The vocals are hard and heavy, but still deliver plenty of temptation for you to sing-along. We are off to a flyer!
Thunder slowly draws you in with its wonderfully dark and gloomy undertones at the same time as delivering plenty of punching power with its Industrial fired core exploding in your ears. Nice!
Faster tune, The Hunting ups the pace a notch with an attitude packed Nu-Metal style performance from the whole band. Get in there!
Percussion fest Possess Me hits you so hard that you will either be on the ropes waiting for the bell or down on the canvas by the end of it. Banging tune!
Immortal is a completely brutal track, with the vocals being summoned from so very deep in the gut or maybe even the pits of hell. You choose!
Light and dark come together in that age-old battle during Taste for Blood leaving no clear winner. The lighter vocals are divine, so maybe good does prevail! Conquer and Divide rips through the soundwaves with this brilliant, distortion laden earworm of a composition. Great sound and a very tight band performance! Up-tempo and Gothic tune Dead Inside provides a cool and unexpected twist on the song title, as it is almost a celebration of the theme rather than a lament. Love it!
The Architect is a riffing good song with its super quick pace, even quicker vocal delivery and a totally uncompromising attitude to boot. This will definitely get you firing on all cylinders! Part of Me is right on point with how Modern Metal sounds currently with a blend of several different genres all in one glorious cocktail complete with little umbrella and a fruit slice. This just shades it as my favourite track by a photo finish!
All good things must come to The End, and To the Wolves is no exception, but I am very pleased to have shared this incredible journey with Stitched Up Heart. A bang-tidy closing track from a thoroughly enjoyable album.
I have been really impressed by how Stitched Up Heart have remoulded themselves into this new and darker image for To the Wolves. Stitched Up Heart certainly have a new fan here! To the Wolves is another contender for album of the year in what is already building up to be the best year for metal music ever. I will be ordering myself a copy of To the Wolves post-haste and would highly recommend you do the same!
(5 / 5)
