Wolf Eyes 'Human Animal' album

When we last checked in with Wolf Eyes two years ago, the band had just released their Sub Pop debut Burned Mind to a stunned world. Burned Mind, preceded by the vicious single “Stabbed in the Face,” was a gate-crashing record of power, blasting through the mediocrity of the “alt” universe. It was so bombastic and insane a document, even mainstream squares had to concede to its wrath or risk being labeled so profoundly uncool that their music journo licenses would have surely been revoked. In the time since Burned Mind, Wolf Eyes have established themselves as the undisputed rulers of the noise underground with relentless touring, a stultifying number of micro-edition releases and more side projects than you can count on your fingers and toes. And in the wake of longtime member Aaron Dilloway’s departure, came Hair Police’s Mike Connelly—an obviously perfect fit from the beginning.

Now the preeminent noise-monger trio of John Olson, Nate Young and Mike Connelly has resurfaced to give us Human Animal. Dilloway remains involved and helped to mix the new record with BMG (who also did the deed on Burned Mind). Like its predecessor, the new album is a force to be reckoned with—albeit one with a different approach. Where Burned Mind was utterly relentless and brutal in its attack, Human Animal focuses—at least initially—on texture and mood. Starting with “A Million Years,” the band takes the dark road through murky territory. Highlighted by Olson’s saxophone mastery, the sound is both uncomfortable and rich. Immediately there is a depth of sound not realized on their prior work. This is a record for headphones, one which unravels with repeated spins. “Lake of Roaches” follows the lead with layers of electronics and death sounds. “Rationed Rot,” continues the dirge in an eight minute-plus powerhouse of low-end bass and electronics, with Nate’s vocals in prime Dread-era spoken death. Three songs in and we’re left in blackness, despair… basically a dungeon of sound.

“I feel that side one sets a stage for something bad to happen, in a way it acts like a mirror to our small editions, focusing on ideas that are spontaneous and sometimes too emotionally elaborate to understand at that time of performance, setting a confused almost frustrating stage for side two,” said Young about the slow burn of the album’s openers.

While those looking for the visceral “slam” of Burned Mind will not be disappointed, it’s almost as if the band opened the lid to their process for the album opening, showing they can compose as well as shred. This is nothing new for the band in itself, but this dichotomy has never been so pronounced in a single Wolf Eyes document until now.

“It’s just a different style of pacing...like a western...you know the horrible stuff is coming, and it’s creepier to know it’s coming later,” adds Olson. “You need a long intro to the creature and sound.... like a long preface to the Human Animal figure.”

And with the song “Human Animal,” Wolf Eyes deliver the pound, the dread, the evil, the noise, the hate and the fury. It’s all there. The beats are all over the place, spastic, high tempo and hitting you from all sides. Once it starts it doesn’t let up. “The Driller” sounds like the most horrible, brutal death call and you’ll be halfway there. But ultimately, Olson’s vocal lead on “Noise Not Music” truly sums up the M.O.: Fuck music. This is noise. It’s both darkly reflective and crushingly severe. Human Animal straddles these worlds, much like the band itself. From homemade to mass-produced, from basements to theaters, from shockingly minimal to world-crashingly maximal, Wolf Eyes cannot be pinned down. Human Animal is the crux and the core of all that is the band. “It’s the culmination of everything we've done since the day I joined the band,” said Connelly. “The first time I jammed with Wolf Eyes, we played an entirely different version of ‘Leper War,’ which now appears on Human Animal. Everything we've done since has led up to this complete project—but mostly it’s all a blur for me.... I couldn’t even begin to recreate how we got here.” Neither can we, but we’re grateful and amazed at their journey. Human Animal captures Wolf Eyes’ (d)evolving mutation. Ignore at your own peril.

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Tracklisting

Wolf Eyes - Human Animal