Review Summary: Modest beginnings of We The Wild make way for a debut album of fury, dazzling instrumental technicality, and just the right amount of melody throughout.
We The Wild is a young group from Portland, Oregon, but their musicianship reveals seasoned players with a ferocious attitude.
From The Cities We Fled is their passionate expression of everything from personal confessions to assertions about the state of modern music. Genre-bending techniques impressively never sound gimmicky or forced, with compositions that defy explanation; the title track for example resembles the most insane moments of Mastodon filtered through a post-hardcore aesthetic. Blistering guitar riffs are a near constant and border on being relentless, lending to the strengths of “Exodus and Decay” and “2001.”
The jazzy drumming and mind-bending guitar playing from We The Wild rarely gets overwhelming, with a healthy dose of melody in each song. Emotive expressions add further dimensions to their sound, with softer, melodic moments within “Still Asunder” and “Terrible, Terrible” showing an impressive understanding of dynamics. The ending trio of tracks forming a musical suite begins with “King of Wounds,” a heartfelt and confessional ballad of sorts. Despite the frenzied sound throughout, a sense of careful yet straightforward method of control is placed over how it functions. Tracks like “King of Wounds,” “Still Asunder,” and “Roxy the Cops are Here!” are each as catchy as they are frenzied.
Despite being infantile as a group, We The Wild show command over their influences while being wholly original, and impossible to ignore. The passion is ever-present, and
From The Cities We Fled is a bold statement from a band with a bright future ahead.
