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She Cries Wolf – Divorce – Album Review

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She Cries Wolf
Divorce
Independent
Release Date: Out Now
Review by Alex Sievers

Divorce is a pretty messy thing, and it can be an immensely difficult time for the children caught in between, having to deal with all of the dumb bullshit their parents say and do. But for the debut album of the Gold Coast’s She Cries Wolf, it means their chaotic debut album that’s as intense as an actual divorce and still slays ears and takes names like few other albums can.

Like Perth’s Statues or Adelaide’s Life Pilot, She Cries Wolf summon up a whirlwind of old school metalcore that sounds and feels like Norma Jean, The Chariot and other bands of that ilk. This isn’t a bad thing, as there just aren’t enough goddamn bands in Australia going for this sound, as it’s either whatever genre is trending the hardest at any given time. Now, as I want something fresh and because I like new ideas (let’s face it –who doesn’t?) She Cries Wolf feels pretty fucking fresh to me, kind of like a young Will Smith.

Conveying a real sense of energy and urgency in your songs is something that very few bands can really pull off without shooting themselves in the foot with the subtly of a quad barreled shotgun. Thankfully She Cries Wolf avoid said shotgun inflicted mutilations and pull this sound off so damn hard that they take the fucking hinges with them each time.

From the thrashy opener ‘Lost Souls’, to the epic soundscape that is album closer ‘Sedated’, this album is brash and cathartic, with a special mention going to ‘Repentance,’ ‘Baal’, and ‘Fixtures‘ for how damn good they are. Pro-tip: If someone is dissing your fly girl, then just show him or her one of these songs and they’ll back off immediately. Or maybe they’ll just mosh along side with you. Well, it’ll mostly like be one of the two.

“Come on Alex, keep it back on track mate”.

Pipe down, voices in my head!

‘Divorce’ walks a steady line between being completely polarizing and engagingly fun for the listener. That’s something too many bands get wrong. It also doesn’t take any prisoner’s, and if it did, it would probably starve and pulverize them for months on end until finally, the swift, cold embrace of death comes to those poor skinny, demoralized bastards (good God, that was dark). So even when the band introduces clean vocals and a stronger sense of melody into the mix, like on ‘Goodnight’ and ‘Silenced‘, it still works and fits perfectly that you won’t really mind at all.

As for the instrumentation, the guitars are sharp and groove-laden, the drums are sporadic yet flowing and tight, and the vocals are scathing and raw. The mix as a whole isn’t as polished as some other releases you’ll hear this year, and sometimes the guitars and vocals do overpower the drums in the mix. But perhaps that just adds to the noisy chaotic nature of their sound, it’ll really be a matter of sonic tastes here. Personally, I wasn’t too put off by it, and I don’t think a lot of people will be turned off by it.

So in conclusion: She Cries Wolf ‘s ‘Divorce’ good. Actual divorce bad. Simple.

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