Wolf Eyes are one of those bands that a strong cadre of underground folks love with a passion, yet for reasons that everyone else can't figure out. On Wolf Eyes' second release for Sub Pop and roughly two-hundredth overall, the trio offers a split personality on Human Animal. The first half consists of murky, slow haunting tracks where random bits are the norm, while the second half is more in line with hardline noise assaults.
At a concise thirty-three minutes, Wolf Eyes continue their horrifying noise trek. Running well as one long piece, from the opening deep thuds of walking through sewage pipes, to the ghostly cries, drills, and ending wails of a torture chamber, this is not music to put on when going to sleep. It makes you cringe and wince, tearing the life out of you while waiting on the edge of your seat for a deadly hand to tap on your shoulder and beckon you to the unknown.
The few moments with vocals are often distorted, just like every other instrument and sound used here, all for added texture. The ability to manipulate anything and make it sound like something entirely different is a difficult task, but Wolf Eyes mold a fit for your worst nightmares. That's perhaps the biggest accomplishment here; how realistic the noise assaults sound, and how readily images come to mind, of not only haunting landscapes, but of people crying out in agony and pain.
There's not too much else to say here except it will likely scare the hell out you. What more could you ask for from an otherwise stagnant genre then some mind blowing noise? This is not for the faint hearted. |