EP REVIEW: Anti-Tank Dogs – Wolfbrigade
Swedish D-Beat heroes WOLFBRIGADE storm back with their latest release Anti-Tank Dogs and this three track EP shows exactly why they are so highly regarded in punk and hardcore circles. With their own take on hardcore punk, one that blends crust punk elements with that crucial D-Beat style, the Lycanthro punks have been forging a crucial attack on the senses with plenty of social commentary since the mid-90s (back when they were known as WOLFPACK), and it is great to hear them sounding so vibrant and still full of rage after all this time.
This is the first music that WOLFBRIGADE have released since 2019’s The Enemy: Reality album, but the urgency of this release makes it seem that the band are making up for lost time and are unleashing their rage at everything that is fucked up in the world today. There is, of course, plenty to rage at and this makes the music that WOLFBRIGADE make so perfect.
A wail of feedback opens proceedings and the title track explodes into life suddenly and for the next 12 minutes all hell breaks loose. After this full on opening that shows WOLFBRIGADE in all their glory, Brainruler adds even more speed to proceedings, with the formidable vocals of Mikael Dahl sounding extremely powerful as they blast their way through the track with a razor sharp focus.
Anti-Tank Dogs concludes with Necronomion, a slower paced track that adds a fearsome atmosphere to proceedings and even has a more metal sound from the guitar solos in particular. It still sounds like the WOLFBRIGADE we know and love though, and it finishes things off with a bang. It also has to be said that if these songs are played live (and hopefully they will be when the band play at UK Deathfest this coming September), then they will absolutely slay.
The music of WOLFBRIGADE is obviously very much influenced by DISCHARGE (and if it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t have the whole D-Beat movement) and the same is true for this EP, but the spirit of MOTÖRHEAD is clearly a massive influence on the band’s music as well (especially on the EP’s final track). When these two influences collide under the control of WOLFBRIGADE, the results are a joyful assault on the senses.
It is great to have WOLFBRIGADE back and the short sharp shock of Anti-Tank Dogs is a perfect return for them. Hopefully a new album will not be too long in coming. For the time being though you can revel in this EP, as it contains more power in its three tracks than a lot of bands can muster over a whole album.
Rating: 8/10
Anti-Tank Dogs is set for release on August 12th via Agipunk/Armageddon Label.
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