Werewolves – Die For Us

Werewolves – Die For Us
Release Date: 19th July 2024
Label: Independent
Bandcamp
Genre: Death Metal, Blackened Death Metal.
FFO: Exhumed, Carcass, Aborted, Hate Eternal, Krisiun.
Review By: Rick Farley

Beaten Back to Life “If you weren’t there in 1992, your taste in music’s shit. Fuck you.” Truer words have not been spoken or growled this eloquently on any bands record since well, I don’t actually know when, but you understand what I am getting at. 

Their goal, ten albums in ten years. Australia’s obnoxious three-piece degenerates, Werewolves, are on album number five in as many years. Try hards! Die For Us is bigger, badder, and furios-er? Last year’s My Enemies Look and Sound Like Me, came in extremely levelled up, pissed off and utterly battering. So how does Werewolves follow that hairy beast up! With an album that (bassist, vocalist) Sam Bean (The Antichrist Imperium) describes as sounding like a school bus getting fed into a metal shredder. My sentiments exactly. 

Die For Us is my third Werewolves album that I have reviewed in a row, so I feel like a bit of an expert at this point, or maybe even go as far as saying I am like the silent fourth member. Yeah, let’s go with that. From blistering, blood lusting guitars to destructive blasting, the epitome of death metal consistency or moronic nonsense, depending on how you look at, that is shown on each album is astounding. You are greeted with a tour de force of furious pace that is not for the faint of heart. With witty, humorous lyrics wrapped in a shell of violent death dealing that never stops beating you senseless. Completed with often dead on audio samples before or after songs, there’s a lot of rotten flesh to really sink your teeth into, as well as several self-induced neck injuries that may require frequent visits to your local specialist. 

For starters, opening track Die For Us is an anthemic beater that could end up being a death metal classic and an instant live staple. A no nonsense, violent call to self-annihilation. “We are in this world to hurt each other,” incredibly positive lyrics in this one. When the gutturals aren’t low and stomach churning, there is a Jeff Walker like snarl that’s filled with sickened personality from Sam. The sharpened crunch of the guitars from Matt Wilcox (The Antichrist Imperium) chug and spit acidity like a snarling hellhound possessed by the devil himself. Forceful savagery in the form of abrasive hooks and relentlessly paced, twisted riffs. These are my friends, is a fucking banger. 

The blackened tinge of the delightfully titled Under a Urinal Moon is one part veiny, airy guitars and one part groovy chugs that maintains a mid-pace grind, giving enough reprieve from the overwhelming, foaming at the mouth assault of the rest of the album. The command of the drums from Dave Haley (Psycroptic) is nothing short of mind-blowing. Powerful fills, meaty hooks, kick stutters and bursts of various speeds of double bass are all impactful at making this track feel just a little different. 

Mixed and mastered by Joe Haley (Psycroptic), Die For Us is a brutal remember that death metal can sound fucking incredible and still beat your punk ass within an inch of your life. Everything is raw and gross yet fully clear and distinguishable. With high musicianship, massive repeatability, and deliriously good songs, this will be in my ears for a long time. On a side note, the killer cover art full of horrifying gore was done by Mitchell Nolte and deserving of a mention. 

So, to sum up, if you are looking for a tongue in cheek, no fucks given approach to grinding, modern death metal, chock-full of high speed blasting, manically sharp riffs, sick gutturals that will cave in your face in, then Werewolves is your fucking jam.       

(4 / 5)