Australian death metal horde Werewolves are working with the kind of pace that could run afoul of diluting their brand of brutality - yet staring down the June 24th release of their third full length assault in nearly as many years, the pummel remains as punishing.
From The Cave to The Grave follows 2019's The Dead Are Screaming, 2020's cataclysmic What A Time to Be Alive, and a limited edition EP released earlier this year in DeathMetal as the latest in a relentless onslaught from the extreme music lifers. Comprised of members of The Antichrist Imperium, The Berzerker, Psycroptic, Abramelin, Ruins, King, and Blood Duster, the passion project offers another outlet for a trio seemingly deadset on depravity.
Following previously singles that function like confrontational manifestos, entries like "We Are Better Than You" and "Crushing Heaven's Mandate" combine the requisite savagery of the genre combined with the band's antagonistic stance to deliver tracks that translate as pure beatdown both in style and execution.
For the third and final preview from the album, "Harvest of the Skulls" may dial back the speed of the preceding cuts, however, serves as no less sinister in its depiction of metallic macabre. Detailing the psychological fallout from death en masse, the track's brutality exists between the lines.
Bassist/vocalist Sam Bean explains, "We thought we'd bring you a happy little track about death and genocide called 'Harvest of the Skulls', which we think is our sauciest film clip so far. Most metal tracks out there that deal with genocide gratuitously recount the action itself. We thought it would be way more horrific if we described what it would be like to be in a country where everyone loses their mind and you're coerced into mass murder… being made to go along with things, like you're forced into a large public service work. As usual, we wrote this a year or two ago and hey presto, just as the song's coming out the world is waking up to a few large ongoing genocides happening right now. We really need to write a track about everything turning out alright and everyone being okay."
From the Cave to The Grave from Werewolves arrives June 24th via Prosthetic Records. Pre-order the album - HERE. Stream the Knotfest premiere of "Harvest of the Skulls" below.