In an age where people dip in and out of playlists rather than digest full albums, there’s been more of a fashion for alternative rock bands to take a record/release approach to their work. It’s often common to find new “single” tracks on streaming services, only for those not to be followed with anything more concrete. Wolforna have been adding to their catalogue of digital singles since 2019, and although there has been a pleasure in watching them grow as a band, the quick single hits haven’t always given fans much in which to immerse themselves. The blame, of course, lies not with the band, but the quick fix world to which music streamers have become all too accustomed.

With that in mind, their 2024 EP ‘Tales of The Damned’ is a welcome arrival. Its five tracks re-acquaint an audience with the dirty grooves and alt-rock punch that Wolforna have set in place – and gradually improved upon – since their formation, and on several singles, but the material is sequenced in such a way that the songs appear to have more of a flow. In short, although the EP still only amounts to approximately eighteen minutes’ worth of material, it supplies something that feels rather more like an old fashioned, complete experience for the listener.

With a swaggering riff, an overdriven sound worked brilliantly throughout, and the addition of a deep, fuzzy sounding bass, there’s an influence from Royal Btlood that cuts right through the centre of the EP’s stand out cut,‘What’s That In Old Money?’ It’s a number that takes Wolforna’s blend of grunge, stoner and hard rock, but improves upon it greatly, since the main riff has a really direct punch and lead vocalist Jack Crabtree drops moments of pure anger between the rhythmic stops with ease. Allowing the track time to settle, the mid section presents something a little more sedate, with bassist Alex Waite fully exploring more of a stoner vibe, before the original melody returns with an even punchier feel. In closing, the Royal Blood influences adopt a bigger, bluesier swagger, really working Adam Whittaker’s guitars. Most of this EP is great, but this track makes it more than worth the price of admission.

Retaining the sense of power, but transposing the Wolforna swagger into more of a stomp, ‘Copium’ pushes drummer Theo Fieldhouse further into the spotlight as he attacks his snare with a genuine intent. This isn’t by any means a one-dimensional cruncher of a track however: there are a couple of fills that adopt more of a bluesy vibe, and a vital sense of balance brought via a more melodic chorus where cleaner vocals are underscored by bright lead guitars, bringing a touch of ‘AM’ era Arctic Monkeys into an arrangement that continues to show a love for a timeless grungy/stoner sound. Branching out, ‘Zombie Knife’ takes Whittaker’s distinctive guitar and adds a pinch of funk to lend more of a retro feel to the Wolforna sound. The near-spoken elements of the vocal don’t always flow quite as well as you’d hope, but thankfully, Jack doesn’t go full on “bad white rap” [a generation of rock fans have never recovered from the embarrassment of hearing King Kobra’s ‘Home Street Home’ for the first time]. It’s a bolder move, certainly, but once you’ve adjusted, it’s easy to understand what was intended here. After a slightly wobbly start, the number finds its feet with the help of a chopping guitar, a repetitious hook, and – most importantly – another foray into a world of dirty guitar work underscored with massive drums. To avoid the superior instrumental moments feeling too much like a revisitation of previous work, Adam drops in a really angular lead guitar break and Alex gives everything a lift with some huge funk-oriented bass fills. The end result will likely always be more of an acquired taste when measured against the rest of the EP – and even the rest of the Wolforna canon, to a degree – but all bands need to experiment. You certainly couldn’t accuse these guys of creative stagnation.

‘Your Tongue, My Teeth’ revisits Wolforna’s love of grungy sounds via a huge opening riff, and uses that effectively to add weight to a mid tempo groove. Without the luxury of a traditional intro, it doesn’t break the listener in gently, but that merely makes the number more direct. The steady, chugging guitar work employed throughout shows off Crabtree’s rhythm guitar sound brilliantly, and when joined by occasional bluesy leads from Whittaker, the pair are able to serve up an immense sound taking the Wolforna heaviness a little further in the direction of Queens of The Stone Age circa ‘Era Vulgaris. There’s a pinch of Royal Blood countering the grungy edge, too, bringing a slightly more contemporary feel at the time of recording, but despite the heavy elements, it’s the vocal which really makes the track. On the verses, Jack delivers the perfect combination of anger and melody, whilst a clean, soaring melody fills space before the explosion of huge riffs provides a cool balance. Extant fans won’t necessarily get a new listening experience here, but they will certainly get a welcome kick out of “The Wolf”s combo of heavy chug, dirty grooves and moody melodies. ‘Chains’ also has a slightly grungy undercurrent, but comes with a very different tone. The number’s mix of chunky guitars and waltzing time signature carries more than a hint of ‘Sweet Oblivion’ era Screaming Trees, but a solid hard rock vocal gives the number a much older heart. It’s the kind of recording that only requires a couple of spins before it makes a definite impression, further suggesting this band are going places. If anything really stands out, however, it’s a slow burning, almost rootsy intro, where Wolforna value atmosphere over bombast. There’s a lot packed into these three minutes, and everything feels a tiny bit forced compared to the rest of this EP, but there are some cool riffs here, and another great vocal that adds an extra layer of confidence to create a solid alternative rocker.

There’s not always a huge variety in styles here – notably, four of the five songs are of a similar heaviness – but Wolforna know how to wield a genuinely big sound and make it work for them. For most listeners, the relative uniformity of sound won’t be a bad thing; when Wolforna make a riff really work, as with the particularly cool sounding ‘…Old Money?’, there’s a sense of a band who’ll go onto much bigger things, and even when things miss the mark slightly, this EP still manages to showcase an act who are really tight when it comes to an arrangement. In short, if you’re in the market for a punchy listen that brings a world of 90s and 00s alternative influences kicking into the 2020s, ‘Tales of The Damned’ is a short but direct collection of tracks that should really hit the mark.

October 2024