Review Summary: Summary: Haste The Day offers a promising release, full of technical guitar work, terrific drums, and pounding bass. The band puts out a solid record.
4 of 5 thought this review was well writtenOn June 29, Haste The Day dropped their newest record, Attack of the Wolf King. Surprisingly, only one of the original members (Michael Murphy, bass/vocalist) remain in the lineup while Haste The Day retains their original sound. Not to say that the band hasn’t progressed, but rather that they have stayed true to their sound while moving forward.
The record begins with “Wake Up the Sun”, showcasing Stephen Keech’s emotion-tinged screams along with his previously rare clean vocals. The catchy chorus adds to the energy previously built up by the verses and the brief breakdown. According to iTunes, the next track, “Dog Like Vultures”, is the third most popular song off Wolf King. With terrific imagery, this song paints a brilliant picture that entices the mind. This is track also holds a catchy chorus and great musicianship. “The Quiet, Deadly Ticking” carries the same line through the song: “Is this what you wanted for me?” and has mostly screams with backing clean vocals.
The next song, “Travesty” could be the greatest worship song ever without using God’s name; the song’s opening words refer directly to the crucifixion of Jesus. Lyrics aside, this song shines with intricate guitar work from new members Dave Krysl and Scotty Whelan and all around musicianship. “Merit for Sadness” has a memorable breakdown with an average chorus. The next track is one of the greatest songs off the record. With so much imagery and lyrics tying to the record’s mascot “the jackal”(which represents human’s evil side), “The Un-Manifest” simply sums up the entire album. Keech shows no mercy from his growls and screams with no clean vocals shown on the track. Drums from Giuseppe Capolupo are exceptional and tie it all together. “The Place Where Most Deny” has a nice opening riff and delivers a noteworthy chorus. “White As Snow” is the worst track off Attack of the Wolf King. Not to say that this song is bad, but all of the other tracks are so awe-inspiring that this slow, clean vocal track seems almost unexpected. One interesting point to note is Murphy’s vocals. Though he usually only does backups, track eight demonstrates his abilities at leads in the verses while Keech handles the chorus.
According to iTunes, the next track, “Crush Resistance”, is the most popular song off this CD. This song has a beastly breakdown and has minimal clean vocals, showing the heavier side of this band. “Walk With a Crooked Spine” undoubtedly has the best breakdown of the entire record. Keech growls “I am the spawn/of the wolf and the jackal/so hear the sound within me” in an unusually lower tone. “My Name is Darkness”, the closing track, is half quiet, synth-like intro, half metal breakdowns. This is definitely worth the 99 cents, but to anyone else, it would seem the 2:25 long track is not worth it. The special edition comes with a Black-Eyed Pea cover, which is pretty good, as well as two live songs.
