EP REVIEW: Fears & Fractures – Wolves Don’t Sleep
The EP is a wonderful thing, isn’t it? A sliver of another world. Just a taste of escape from reality. The small burst of creativity before falling back into the mundanity of our dwellings. There are times however where our Alice In Wonderland-esque dalliances with fantasy are mere wolves in sheep’s clothing, the bitter truth of ailing mental health wrapped within a saccharine coat of blissful ignorance.
Armed with the latter of those two scenarios is Nottingham’s own WOLVES DON’T SLEEP. Their third EP, Fears & Fractures, is pretty much a Ronseal release. It does what it says on the tin – a stark reflection of ourselves and the need to extract the toxicity of ill mental health from us. The push to do and be better. It’s a fairly deep topic but something this sextet strives to do in a short 15 minutes.
Where better to start the reflection than the very music scene you inhabit? Make no mistake, the rock and metal scene can be disgusting at times. Misconduct and discrimination runs rampant. Efforts to stamp those behaviours out are best left for another time. House Of Glass steeps itself within a KILLSWITCH ENGAGE ambience. Think Atonement’s (2019) Unleashed or Soilborn from the metalcore titans’ debut in 2000. The murky, picked melody which collapses when battered by the full weight of the song. Rather than dally around with the modern metalcore furnishings of atmosphere and electronics, WOLVES DON’T SLEEP opt for the direct approach. Frantic drums and spiralling riffs lay the foundation for rather typical growls of displeasure citing “I can no longer see a world I desire”. What strikes us though is the potential this track has – small pockets of opportunity which could have been delved into just that bit more. Nuances of higher pitched screeches which sit a little too subtly in the mix for example. Or the dampened impact of the somewhat spoken word section. This isn’t to say the track isn’t good – it simply highlights a potential for it to be very good.
Oblivion’s crunchy riffs and sumptuous guitar squeals are prime examples of WOLVES DON’T SLEEP leaning into themselves. Three EPs deep, the band know what they’re good at and it is this bleak sonic aggression. The vocals ooze with venomous self-hatred towards the fact that “every day I live I’m just getting bitter”. WOLVES DON’T SLEEP have an art imitating life aspect to them housed within a barrage of guitars and blast beats drowning out the self-destructive soliloquy of how we are a “hypocrite”, “coward”, or “heartless”. Yet it doesn’t stop there, the atmospherics surrounding a tableau of suicidal ideation are reminiscent of black metal. Oblivion becomes fully ensconced within the darkness of its own making. Is this one song enough to get the 15-minute EP back on track however?
“I had to break my heart to let you in” proclaims the title track. It begins as a slower ode to healing, synths and violins stitching the pieces of our shattered souls back together. The construction of this world in which connection is “thawing out my frozen soul” is quite literally obliterated by a wrecking ball of guitars that decimate everything in sight with sheer volume. Much like the message of the track, the good of this EP is in constant struggle with what could be better. The EP’s first guitar solo soars like our ego when we finally realise we are better than the treatment we allow ourselves to receive. Yet the strange, canned nature of the drums detract from it and taint the moment. It’s small things such as this which build up into something which tips the scale toward the negative.
Shame attempts to win us back and does somewhat. Angular riffs collide with electronic disjointment and settle into a salacious groove. This repetitive nature in the instrumentals is further hammered home with the cycle of having to “rebuild myself and throw it all away”. The discomfort housed within those angular riffs beautifully mirrors that not only of shame itself but the notion of breaking the cycle which the protagonist longs to do. “Redemption gets closer every day / I have the will to exist” sits upon the build into what could have been a very impactful breakdown. What comes instead however is a drum pattern which could have found a home within the old school UK garage scene. It’s not a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination as it piques interest, but it’s lost as quickly as it’s gained when the moment becomes all too fleeting.
Which brings us to the final track Built On Sin – the band’s final chance to leave a lasting impression. BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE-inspired guitar melodies are quickly compressed into fast, aggressive riffs. A small hint of a clean vocal sits in the background, as though it’s something to be feared in terms of showcasing. Flourishes of guitars lace the verses but quickly disappear around the choruses, leaving them without dimension. The breakdown we had been waiting for finally comes within the second half of the track but it again only lasts a moment or two before fading into an unnecessary repetition of the chorus. Yes, there is a formula to music for a reason but some of the best things are discovered whilst experimenting. Throwing away the rule book isn’t always a bad thing.
At EP’s close, it is this sentiment we’re left with: “it could have been…”. Fears & Fractures is a good soundtrack to a morning tea or coffee, a walk to the shops, or another mundane task we find ourselves doing. However it isn’t one we would instinctively go for. There are moments where the listener’s interest is piqued but those slivers in time simply aren’t enough to drive them back for repeat listens instantaneously. It isn’t disappointing because it isn’t bad, it is simply frustrating because of what it could have been.
Rating: 5/10
Fears & Fractures is set for release on May 3rd via self-release.
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