Hailing from Saint Paul Minnesota The Wolf Council is a relatively new group. According to their Facebook page they were formed in 2013 and after listening to their self-titled album I am surprised they haven’t been together for far longer.  Being just a three piece, The Wolf Council jam some very kick ass, stoned out, hard rock tunes and two of the three members are named Steve. There is one guitarist/vocalist, One Bassist and One drummer. The Wolf Council is the type of band you pop open a PBR Tall Boy to and you just layback and rock.

In terms of making a comparison The Wolf Council have elements that remind me a lot of Los Angeles group Big Business.  I think that is more so in the vocal performance and sound.  The Wolf Council are way more up-tempo and riff oriented and the way that the Bass works with the guitar hooks is very balanced.

The album’s opener “Plans for the Sky” starts off with some nice slide guitar work and then builds into a strong verse section. The Wolf Council are almost like a sped-up doom band if such a thing existed.  There is nothing here that is overly technical but the arrangement is very well done and well played.

The second song “Send Help for The Rest” is an example of how well the bass compliments the guitar section. The intro riff has some very well layered work going on between the guitar and bass sections.  The drum work is very solid as well demonstrating some very groovy tom work. “Loading the Guns” is another great example of great work between the percussion and bass sections.  It is nice to hear some bass melodies with a  wah wah effect.  There is a definite style to The Wolf Council and it would not surprise me to see them get picked up.

Having been fortunate to see The Wolf Council perform live twice, I would definitely say that there sound translates very well on to a recording.  The Wolf Council is definitely a group that does not try to overpay.  Each tune on their self-titled effort builds with an infectious intensity and is definitely a breathe of fresh air.

The Wolf Council plays a very catchy style of hard rock that has some sludge and doom elements.  This is definitely for fans of bands like The Melvins, Big Business and possibly even Clutch.  This is a fun forty-four minute listening experience and it is a nice break from all of the death and black metal out there.

 

[Visit the band's website]

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