WEREWOLF DIVISION, Nobody Lives Forever (2013, self-released)
The skull:
There’s this thing out there called the “law of attraction.” You focus on something consistently enough, and it will come. “Like attracts like.” It’s a bit like praying, and I don’t put much stock in it, but I’ve been talking about skulls with fangs a lot lately, and now I have a surfeit of them. Only a few skulls ago, 423 to be exact, I was marveling at the teeth on that guy. But, just like that, Skull432 comes moseying along and outfangs everybody. (“Outfangs” isn’t a word, you say? Is now. FTW.) This cover looks like it would belong to some hipster sludge or black metal band (ie. San Fran black/sludge), but it’s a deathcore band from Russia. What a world.
The music:
Whenever I hear the phrase “nobody lives forever,” I think of the immortal words from Hallows Eve, the ones that follow that titular phrase: “I try not to slip on my sweat.” Great lyric. But Werewolf Division don’t sound a damn thing like Hallows Eve. They’ve probably never even heard of Hallows Eve. No, Werewolf Division are one for young girls into Bring Me the Horizon. These Russians wear Bring Me the Horizon and Veil of Maya shirts too. It could be worse, of course, and they sound totally legit in their chosen musical field, but, to my ears, that’s a terrible choice. I could not get through this whole album, I’ll admit, not because it’s way too heavy or the performances and writing are poor…it’s just a style of music that only reminds me that the minutes are ticking by too quickly and I ain’t got a lot of time on this planet. Life’s too short and all that. I stand accused of skipping most of this album. Anyone upset about that, please take a look at the concept of this blog and get back to me about how I’m shirking my journalistic duties by not breaking down all the nuances of Nobody Lives Forever to provide exhaustive analysis on what I found in seven different passes through the material. I might listen to your gripe, but probably not. I’m in this for the skulls.
— Friar Wagner