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Review Summary: Riff-driven rock’n’roll from Italy, but with international appeal. Due to the sheer amount of music available to consumers these days, listeners will find themselves with no option but to prioritize what they allow inside their ear canals. Other than quality (which is rarely obvious for new acts), many will sort their preferences via genre. One often overlooked factor, however, is the nation which musicians reside in, or are native to. It may be irrelevant to the open-minded among us, but many people from English speaking countries tend to shy away from music which emanates from non-Anglo nations. Well, Sweden has the runs on the board to earn an exemption, but many talented acts from the likes of Brazil, Spain and even Japan unfortunately get overlooked. Often, any concern is unwarranted, a case in point being Italian rockers Be The Wolf and their debut LP ‘Imago’.
Forging their own sound by taking bits and pieces from many worldwide rock bands, the international appeal of Be The Wolf is there for all to hear. Playing riff-driven rock’n’roll that combines both retro and contemporary influences, one would be hard-pressed to call this trio unique or original… But they are undoubtedly accomplished and technically proficient. Rollicking up-tempo rockers like ‘Chameleon’ and ‘Dust in Hoffman’ rule the roost here, although the band occasionally instil some quirkiness to give tracks such as ‘Si(g)ns’ and ‘24’ an interesting edge. Catchy single ‘The Fall’ allows Be The Wolf to showcase their melodic chops, with lead vocalist Federico Mondelli displaying a surprising likeness to Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump here. Imago’s main dose of variety comes from penultimate cut ‘The House of Dead Snow’; a tune that carries a bluesier vibe and more methodical pace. All the while, the LP is crisply produced by Andrea Fusini, who allows each member to shine in equal measure.
While ‘Imago’ won’t exactly put either Italy or Be The Wolf on the musical map, it is a solid and consistent debut long-player that will hopefully get the band’s foot in the international door. Absolutely no song outstays its welcome, and with its ten tracks spanning just thirty-two minutes, it’s a decidedly breezy listen, if a little too much so. As with most up-and-coming acts, the trio will have to locate a more distinct identity and improve their song-writing as their career progresses… Thankfully, all the pieces of the puzzle appear to be in place for such an evolution to occur. One thing is for certain; Be The Wolf’s Italian heritage has little bearing on the end-product. They could just as well be from California or London, the base cities of possibly their closest contemporaries; Rival Sons and The Temperance Movement. Whether one sees that as a positive or negative is up for conjecture.
Recommended Tracks: The Fall, One Man Wolfpack, Chameleon & Florinda’s Murderer.
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Album Rating: 3.4
‘The Fall’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7EhvpJDVeM
‘One Man Wolfpack’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b__4k3URDp0
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Almost forgot about this band. It took a while for them to release an album/EP.
| | | Album Rating: 3.4
Yep, one extra fact that I wanted to work into the review was that a lot of these songs have been kicking around for the past 3 years (as can be seen when you click on the 'One Man Wolfpack' link above)... So the album is kinda like a compilation of sorts being used as their debut LP. That may make it trickier to follow-up come album #2.
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Now that you mention it, Chameleon, Dust In Hoffman, One Man Wolfpack, and Jungle Julia were all older songs.
The singer (which is the only real reason why I know the band) used to be in: A Line Before the Ocean. While the drummer was in Ms White. Anyways, I'll check out the new songs later.
| | | Album Rating: 3.4
Correct. I didn't bother to mention those other bands, as I didn't think anyone would know them.
I also think that they've relatively recently lost their lead guitarist, which may be another issue for them moving forward.
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Great review, never heard of this band before, so I had to go check the songs you posted, I'm very skeptical when it comes to Italian bands (my country), but this wasn't half bad, better than a lot of overvalued bands around here... Still not my cup of tea...
| | | Album Rating: 3.4
Thanks Piripichotes. I was wondering if we had any SputItalians around here. From your comments, I take it that these guys aren't all that well-known in your country.
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This was not the kind of sexy, sleazy rocknroll I was expecting. Why would you deceive me like that?
| | | Album Rating: 3.4
Haha, I never used the words "sexy" or "sleazy". Stop reading between the lines XK. Or maybe you just associated those words with being Italian! ;-)
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You're more than welcome Davey, review was perfect, made me check the band...
Not at all known I'd say, I guess it's because they're a middle of the road band, caught in between heavy music and pop music... There's a huge heavy metal crowd here, but Italy is not a fertile ground for bands like these... the Hard Rock scene is more of a US thing....
I mean, I don't see an "Alter Bridge" or a "Stone Sour" getting' big in Italy... Italians go to extremes, either they like their shit very complicated or flamboyant, or they like to keep it simple and easy...
BTW, how do you like the new Fightstar? I see you're a fan, I find it their best release yet...
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I don't know if I'm the only one who does this, but using the term "rocknroll" is always a specific sound in my head that is entirely it's own thing, unlike calling something "rock" which is just a generic word to me.
ITALIAN STALLION
| | | Album Rating: 3.4
Thought that might be the case Piripichotes. I guess it's just the way someone is brought up. One thing I'd add though, and I don't want to generalize, but I sometimes feel that rock bands in non-English speaking countries tend to gravitate towards metal, predominantly because they can get away with accents and lack of English skills when screaming, grunting & yelling. It's much trickier where melodies are required.
Yep, just about to rate the new Fightstar after I've given it another listen or 3. I don't think it's their best, because I adore the 2 LPs they made before it. But it will still be close to my top 10 of 2015.
Fair call XingKing. I used the term more in the sense that there's quite a throwback vibe to this. For example, I almost put Led Zep in the Recos section.
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Sounds solid.
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Great point you make there Davey, I'd rather listen to italian rock bands that sing in italian though, I recognize that we have strong accents when speaking english... Mine might be a bit different since I learned my english during my teen years and in Miami, so it might be a lil' latino LOL.
| | | Album Rating: 3.4
Haha. Oh man, you can just switch accents & languages to woo the opposite sex with a drop of a hat!
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"with lead vocalist Federico Mondelli displaying a surprising likeness to Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump here"
first thing I noticed from checking out the first track you linked
| | | Album Rating: 3.4
Yeah, I thought it was rather noticable... BUT I must stress that it only occurs kn 2 or 3 tracks imo.
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Sounds solid. [2]
| | | Album Rating: 3.4
It is solid. Hopefully, they have the ability to improve & make something better than solid.
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I had a discussion with one of the members of the group, what an asshole really
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