Based in Chicago, Of Wolves are a trio formed in 2007. They play an energetic and noisy mixture of metal, hardcore and sludge. They wield this combustible admixture in order to “ de-program the sleeping masses with a straight-forward approach of brutal force & raw intensity,” according to the Bandcamp.
Says Steve Sherwood, the band’s guitarist and vocalist: “We feel like we sound like Chicago due to us loving the city so much and the fact it has shaped us as people as well as our music. We grew up with different backgrounds, but metal not only saved us, it brought us together.”
Today we have the pleasure of premiering the music video for the latest Of Wolves single from their forthcoming new album, Balance. The video is for the album’s opening track, “Mens Rea (Izaguf).”
“We’re absolutely delighted to be able to premiere the video for the track with Decibel,” Steve says. He elaborates on the track and the meaning behind the video: “The riff itself reminded me of Fugazi and was originally called ‘Hats Off’ (to Fugazi) and the Izaguf (Fugazi backwards) just to remember the riff and the song. We called it that up until I wrote the words for it. That’s when I found the term ‘Mens Rea’ (Mens rea is the mental element of a person’s intention to commit a crime; or knowledge that one’s action or lack of action would cause a crime to be committed) and it all clicked. It helped me finish the lyrics and gave me the therapeutic release I needed. Also, Fugazi means fake.
“The video is a mixed media montage in the vein of the treatments received in the movie A Clockwork Orange and the concept of brainwashing in general. It was created to resemble flyers we made in the 80s and 90s punk scenes where you cut, tore and pasted different things layered together to create your message. Except this was done using various video clips, art, and photos to give a digital rendering of our current world and state.
Steve says the video is mean to be: “A quick deprogramming of the non-stop mental clutter we are all bombarded with on a constant basis all promoting separation tactics and consumerism to help keep us divided, in debt and shackled to working, more for less, all while the hoarding class of puppetmasters gain more control and wealth. This is despite the fact that they literally could not spend what they have already hoarded in multiple generations if they tried.”
“Mens Rea (Izaguf)”
“The theme of balance runs through the track as well as the whole recording, hence the album’s title,” adds Ivan Cruz, Of Wolves’ bassist. “The fact that no matter how hard we want to control our lives and be at peace with others, we simply just can’t. There will always be a dark side, and you must welcome that side as well if you want to achieve some sort of balance in anything you do. That’s why the album goes through that heavy, pummeling sound through slow beautiful parts and just plain noise.”
Trepanation Recordings will release Balance on July 4.
Preorder the album today.
