Direwolves – The Great Year

It took almost three years for Direwolves to come up with the successor to their magnificent “Aegri Somnia”. The new rager, called “The Great Year”, is another outburst of strong emotions coming from this French band, and there’s no doubt, they put a lot of effort into this record.

First and foremost, the band started this project by making sure their songs are original enough to truly stand out from the crowd. Drenched in captivating guitar work, eclectic drumming and passionate screams, “The Great Year” is an intense and still beautifully melodic record. Lyrically these six songs are applicable to anyone who’s ever been haunted by anxiety, depression and general self-doubt. What more can I ask for when I’m blessed with so much of what I love in hardcore punk music today?

The uplifting and intricately layered sound of the band is massively engaging in an unrelenting ebb and flow of hook-laden and breathtaking build-ups. Furthermore, there’s a strong sense of cohesion that makes the 19 minutes long record like a homogeneous substance that flows like a drug into your veins or a fix of adrenaline-pumped emotional hardcore injected straight into your heart.

From the fascinating production of their songs to the stunning artwork by Førtifem – this is what I call a record worth experiencing.