Born out of Zeeland, Netherlands very active hardcore scene, To Live Among Wolves recently released their latest EP, (Dis)honoured.

According to the bands press release, “Their latest EP ‘(Dis)honored’, shows To Live Among Wolves at their most vulnerable, detailing their inner fears and showing the mixture of hardcore, punk, grunge and beatdown the band is defined by.”

There is certainly a vulnerability to the tracks found on this EP, coupled with a certain anxious feeling, like it’s do or die for this band.  Thankfully, they do, rather than die, right from the opening moments.

A Serpents Tale opens with a bit of an “oi” styled gang vocal, before becoming completely unhinged and full of aggression.  It’s fast and heavy at times, but also features plenty of groove.  It’s abrasive music, but I find it really easy to engage with.

Cursed Embrace starts off with some nu metal vibes, before once again becoming an aggressive hardcore stomper.  Just when you think you know what this track is, some impressive clean vocals come in for the chorus and give it a totally different feel, even if it’s only brief.  Excellent riffs, and perfect drumming compliment this track.

No Shepherd features an almost bluesy guitar intro, lulling the listener into a false sense of calm.  It’s false, because it doesn’t take long for this track to really fire up with immense riffs and rumbling rhythms, coupled with some extremely angry vocals – and some wicked gang vocals during the choruses.  This is easily the highlight of the four track EP for mine.

Prisoner is the EP closer, and while it doesn’t necessarily add anything new to the bands arsenal, it does make use of some clean vocals again, which makes it stand out to a degree.

This style of music is not for everyone, but with a very short twelve minute run time, I say listen for yourself and make up your own mind.

6/10

Shayne McGowan.