SPOTLIGHT TUESDAY

Artist: To Speak of Wolves
Title: Myself< Letting Go
Album Length: 10
Release Date: 05.18.2010

Adding on to their already impressive lineup of bands such as The Chariot, Haste the Day and Underoath, Solid State Records are set to release their latest artist To Speak of Wolves to the masses May 18 with their debut offering Myself< Letting Go.

Fusing hard-core with a steady progression of clean vocals, To Speak of Wolves introduce an overall message to arise from your past and stare guilt right in the face.

“There are things that are good, and there are things that are bad,” vocalist Rick Jacobs said. “You often find it difficult to follow that path… You veer from that path and you shouldn’t feel guilty for it, you should just try to get back on the right road.”

Starting off the album with the bands first single, “Darkness Often Yields the Brightest Light,” may or may not have been the best choice. While the vocals are faultless and the chorus is one of the most memorable, it is understandable why this is their first single. However, that does not take away from the fact that the sound channels a soft-core Underoath and lacks creativity.

This album takes a drastic turn with “You Should Have Locked Your Door Days Ago.” The screaming on this song is blaring, and I love that. The arrangement of the song is a bit all of the place, but it works. Envision The Chariot in all their chaotic glory, and know that music does not have to be neat.

While To Speak of Wolves is not introducing anything new to the metal-core scene musically, there is still something about their sound that is refreshing. In fact, there is not a whole lot to dislike about Myself< Letting Go. The band definitely has talent.

When asked about the prospects of a new single, front-man Jacobs mentioned he would not mind any song taking the slot. With an album filled with promising hits such as “White Dress, Red Dress,” “Just One Time,” and the post-rapture inspired “In The Midst of the City” it would be easy to imagine any of those songs hitting airwaves.

The best attribute of this debut is the bands ability to agitate their sound. Just when you feel that you have grasped the overall tone of the band, a song such as “Quercus Alba” infects your ears with something completely different. Standing out for all the right reasons, the intro to this song is slow, it is vocally rich and the instruments are steady and light. Breaking down the comely intro, forceful screams demand a presence in this delicate offering and leave a lasting impression.

There is always that one metal song, regardless of how loud and insane, that just makes you want to stand there, close your eyes, reach your hands for the skies and allow whatever emotion is building up inside you to erupt. For Myself< Letting Go, this moment comes in the form of “Nothing Ever Ends,” the last selection.

Brilliantly depressed might wrap up the emotion that you are left with following this song, which is hands down one of the best on the album.

“I felt it was the most emotionally driven song on the album,” Jacobs said. “I think you can almost feel the kind of impact that it has physically at the very end. The song ends, and it is an abrupt ending. I think that is why we wanted it at the end of the album.”

Left craving anything but an ending, the blaring screams and edgy guitars sang a song of joy while the deliverance of the vocals wrapped this album up perfectly.

To hear the entire interview with vocalist, Rick Jacobs listen here

For more information about the band visit their myspace page