It’s been a long wait for Reignwolf’s Hear Me Out to finally materialize. Even though it’s Reignwolf’s debut album, the band has been active for the better part of a decade by now. They’ve been steadily gaining a following every time the band embarks on extensive continental tours, participates in world-renowned music festivals Download and Lollapalooza, or supports icons like the Pixies and Black Sabbath. Reignwolf has done an extraordinarily fantastic job successfully promoting themselves and forging an impressive career, all with only a handful of singles. With those kinds of credits under their belt, there were a lot of expectations riding on Hear Me Out.
Personally, my first exposure to Reignwolf was the appearance on Cameron Crowe’s TV show, Roadies. I was expecting to hear the same stripped down rawness that’s delivered in the scenes on the show. While the performances on the record aren’t quite as simple as it was on the show, from the beginning of the album you do get that same raw, primal energy. There’s an incredible sense of urgency that courses through the music. You can almost hear the blood and sweat of the blues rock & roll drenching the songs as they’re playing. The sound of hot amplifiers and echoing reverb accentuate Reignwolf’s fundamentally visceral presence.
Songs like “Black and Red” and “Ritual” might be more widely accessible on the from a mainstream perspective. “Son of a Gun” is a peak point on the record across the board, from all aspects–musically, emotionally, especially vocally. As you move toward the end of the album songs like “I Want You” and “Fool’s Gold” take the tempo down and replace it with a musical heaviness, especially the former while the latter has one of the catchiest hooks on the album.
Every track is delivered with 100% conviction and authenticity. At times, Jordan Cook’s vocals convey a palpable desperation, especially on tracks like “Over & Over,” “Wanna Don’t Wanna,” and “Keeper.” Drummer Joseph Braley takes the music on with a more unique, unorthodox approach which keeps the music interesting and fresh. It’s a group effort, the success of Hear Me Out.
As a band, Reignwolf doesn’t make a normal practice out of using your standard ‘techniques’. But then again, Reignwolf doesn’t make a normal practice out of much of anything. From the way they built their audiences to the way they release their music. In the past they’ve only had to worry about focusing on one single at a time so a long-player of 10 is something new. But they’ve risen to the challenge and they’ve done what they’ve been doing for almost a decade now; what they want to do, exactly the way they want to do it. As far as the previously released singles go, songs like “Are You Satisfied?,” “Old Man,” “Lonely Sunday,” and “Electric Love” are left off of this debut. On one hand, it’d have been a good opportunity for the wider audience that the debut record might gain to get a feel for how great that early material is. By the same token, Hear Me Out has 10 electric cuts charging through the speakers, blaring and coming for both the established fans and the growing hordes alike.
STATIKNOIZE 