I Cried Wolf seem to have tapped into an area of metal that really isn’t utilised nearly enough these days. Every Time I Die may have perfected it, but they’re not privy to the style, and it doesn’t mean that no other band can try their hand at it. Metal crossed with southern rock has always been a mix made in heaven. From the groovy tunes of southern rock to the hard hitting and thrashing feeling you get from metal, when they’re carefully mixed and correctly proportioned can make such a unique and interesting sound. It’s a sound that can really set your band apart from everyone else without being stupid or over complicated.
‘It Takes A Slave’ is placed right in the heart of the bands brand new EP Hollow Heart – sorry no pun intended – and perfectly represents the sound that I Cried Wolf seem to have moulded from themselves. The mixture of groovy head banging riffs and intricate guitar solos work fantastically, and adding in the pounding beats and harsh vocals create something unique, yet at the same time feels inherently familiar, the perfect southern American cruiser tune.
It’s certainly apparent from the first tune that I Cried Wolf are a band that shouldn’t be taken lightly, and it’s difficult to really find any real negatives surrounding Hollow Heart. The EP is short, yet snappy, and each track is individual enough to make each track interesting within itself. It’s not a perfect album, as some of the vocals do seem slightly out of place, and the tracks could be a bit more memorable, but these are only minor and picky negatives to be quite honest, but certainly enough to knock it off of perfection.
As unique sounds go, this is certainly one of the better at the moment, it’s instantly recognisable, without being quirky for the sake of it, and certainly leaves a marker for the band to build upon. The obvious comparison would have to be the aforementioned Every Time I Die, but I Cried Wolf have certainly taken the core idea and made it their own, so it doesn’t just feel like a copy and paste job. A well put together EP, with some incredibly catchy hooks, powerful vocals and a lot of future potential.
