Written by: Luke Dunmore
Band:
Title:
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Wolves In Alcatraz
Violence Is The Question…The Answer Is YES!
Out Now!
Wolves In Alcatraz were formed almost ten years ago in Stoke-On-Trent by brothers Jake and Ben Leese. Over that time the band have undergone a gradual shift in both sound and personnel, with Ben now the sole original remaining member.
Released at the end of June, Violence Is The Question... is their second album proper and follows on from 2022’s dazzling This Isn’t Art…This Is Rock And Roll! Just like that debut, it sounds immaculate. Everything sounds thick and warm and yet crystal clear; all thanks to the twinkly, magical fingers of Dave Draper: producer/mixer/recorder to the stars (of underground UK alternative rock).
Where it differs though, is that several of the songs on the previous album were re-recordings of older songs but everything on Violence Is The Question… is completely fresh and new.
From the off, Wolves In Alcatraz harness that freshness into a relentless barrage of energetic melody and riffage. Anger and exuberance abound in equal measure. Each song is a blistering, defiant burst of weighty hard rock, driven by punk rock urgency and garnished with the crunchiness of grunge and the swagger of garage rock. The musicianship from all three members is accomplished and tight but still passionate and earnest.
The peculiarly-named opening song Caffeine, Liberty and Aisle 2 teases with some misleading 8-bit bleepery before abruptly launching into a blistering collection of riffs, each more face-melting than the last.
From there on in, there’s scant let up over the next six songs. Oni is more straightforward in arrangement but not in intensity. It’s probably the most punk influenced song and is swept along by a brilliantly thrashing riff. The title references a monstrous creature from Japanese folklore. An Oni is a kind of demonic ogre with a fondness for human flesh and it’s an apt title for this absolute beast of a song.
Oni flows seamlessly into Conveyor Belt, which manages to be even more frenetic than its predecessor. Ben spits out the verses with bile and indignance and then, when he bellows “Indefensible. So sensational!” and the band drop down into a slower, stinkface of a riff, it’s a veritable delight.
…Each song is a blistering, defiant burst of weighty hard rock, driven by punk rock urgency and garnished with the crunchiness of grunge and the swagger of garage rock…
Impact Fatigue was the lead single ahead of the album’s release and serves as a perfect introduction to the band. It’s another uptempo, rocking song with one of the strongest choruses on the album. The title refers to the condition where repeated small blows eventually do enough damage that the target can’t take any more. The song itself applies that to the inexplicable rise of hatred, prejudice, division and the decline of compassion and empathy, both in politics and modern society. It’s an anthem for rebellion, for solidarity, for change. The soaring chorus line of “Run until your lungs give out” is a stirring clarion call but, from a medical perspective, quite poor advice.
Launching off straight into a groovy, Wildheartsy riff and perhaps the biggest earworm of a chorus, Roses is a fantastic song about reminiscence and looking back fondly to a rascally youth that maybe wasn’t quite as full of whimsy as memories serve. It’s genuinely heartfelt and will moisten the eyeballs of anyone with similar nostalgic experience of a childhood full of exploration, adventure and much clambering, but now struggles to sit on, or get off, a sofa.
Now, I did say at the beginning of this review that the songs were all fresh and new, but that was a bit of a fib as Satellites was released as a single, albeit in demo form, back in 2024. This finished version packs a lot more punch, though it’s still one of the more sedate songs on Violence… There are some great singalong Woah-oahs in the chorus, mind.
The incongruously-titled A.S.M.R. is probably the most abrasive and raucous songs on the album and tears along at a mean old pace, culminating in a pretty cool guitar solo.
The album closes with From The Grit To The Glitter which eases off the throttle and sees Ben toning down the screams and crooning the verses like some 1950s troubadour. Even though the chorus kicks right back in to business as usual, this forlorn tale of an aging Silver-Screen starlet still has a feel of those old teen tragedies like Last Kiss or Tell Laura I Love Her. It’s a great song that, rather than feeling tagged on the end, acts a perfect finale.
Wolves In Alcatraz clearly intended this album to be a proclamation. A short, sharp shock. All killer, no filler etc. That’s all well and good and an admirable intention but, while there is absolutely no filler, with eight songs in just under twenty eight minutes, I don’t think there’s enough killer either.
That’s not a criticism of the eight tracks here by any means, I just mean I would have preferred two or three more songs rather than to have been left wanting more. Violence Is The Question… is an excellent album, however long it is, and highlights both the progression the band have made as well as their obvious love for what they do.
Physical copies of the album are currently only available at live shows, as well as accompanying merch, but the band are working on getting it available online soon. In the meantime it can be heard via your corrupt, soulless streaming service of choice.
Wolves In Alcatraz are:
Ben Leese – Vocals & Guitar
Dave Owen – Bass & Vocals
Luke Morgan – Drums
Track Listing
-
Caffeine, Liberty & Aisle 2
- Oni
- Conveyor Belt
- Impact Fatigue
- Roses
- Satellites – ’26
- A.S.M.R.
- From The Grit to The Glitter