Band:	Wolfbrigade
Album:	Life Knife Death
Style:	Crust punk
Release date:	September 2024
A review by:	AndyMetalFreak

01. Ways To Die
02. Disarm Or Be Destroyed
03. Life Knife Death
04. A Day In The Life Of An Arse
05. Unruled And Unnamed
06. Skinchanger
07. Your God Is A Corpse
08. Nail Bomb
09. Cyanide Messiah
10. Mayhem Mongrel
11. Sea Of Rust
12. Age Of Skull Fuckery

Life Knife Death, and music is as ferocious and simple as that.

Wolfbrigade (formerly known as Wolfpack) is a Swedish hardcore/crust punk band formed in 1995. Back in 1998, vocalist Tomas Jonsson was forced to leave the band to be replaced by Mikael "Micke" Dahl, and it was at this point that the band changed their name from Wolfpack to Wolfbrigade to avoid association with a Swedish neo-Nazi prison gang sharing the name; the rest is history. Even though the band are mainly rooted in hardcore, they're perhaps known more so for their striking combination of crust punk and melodic death. Their style contains a variety of influences that range from At The Gates, and Entombed, to D.R.I., Motörhead, and Napalm Death. They currently have 8 full-length releases to their name, starting with 2001's Progression/Regression and running through to this latest offering, Life Knife Death. Other than aggressive and outrageous track titles, what does this latest album offer?

To put it bluntly, Life Knife Death is 12 tracks and 28 minutes of relentless crust punk savagery that'll have you screaming, kicking and headbanging yourself senseless throughout its duration. The opening song, "Ways To Die", immediately hits you smack bang in the face with its furiously relentless rhythm section, groovy ferocious riffs, and aggressive hardcore punk shouting vocals.

Every track here is as aggressive as the one it follows; across the album, the tempo is relentless, the drums forcefully pound in stylish fashion, and the riffs are never once short of groove, while a few lightning-fast shredding solos are occasionally unleashed. The production helps by maintaining a classic raw and edgy old-school sound, but the elements remain clear and don't sound like they were recorded in a garage with cheap, low-quality equipment.

The style and approach of this album not only resembles hardcore and classic crust punk, but occasionally ventures into traditional heavy/speed metal, such as the song "A Day In The Life Of An Arse", which sounds very much like Motörhead on steroids. "Your God Is A Corpse" offers speed in a more blackened fashion, which is where we hear a combination of Motörhead meets Midnight. On top of this, the song "Skinchanger", despite its short running time, seems to strike a balance between heavy metal and melodeath, while maintaining an aggressive, raw, punkish attitude. The album's outro "Age Of Skull Fuckery" is perhaps the most bizarre track featured, though, with its creepy atmosphere and disturbing narration.

Because of the album's ferocious tempo, memorable riff melodies, relentless groovy rhythm, and short running length, you'll undoubtedly want to push that replay button again as soon as possible; for however many times is a matter of how long your neck can last before your vessels combust, or whether you find the album too repetitively savage for its own good. Wolfbrigade have always been a no-nonsense group, with an aggressive punkish attitude, and an appetite for keeping the glorious traditions of hardcore punk alive, and the band continues this ferocious streak on Life Knife Death. This latest album doesn't necessarily break new ground, or set a high bar that others will aspire to follow, but it's simply a relentless, groovy, modern crusty punk headbanger, with a touch of blackened speed and a slab of melodeath thrown in. The key here is to release your inner frustration and anguish, and ultimately have a good headbanging time.