In light of Cedarville, OH’s Wolves at the Gate’s recent signing to Christian heavy music imprint Solid State Records, they have reissued their We Are the Ones EP first put out in January, albeit with some extra goodies and remastered tracks. These extra goodies consist of acoustic versions of “Heralds” and “No Rival.”
The EP starts with an interlude which serves as a proclamation of the heart of the band, before seguing into a light symbol beat reminiscent to the start of a live show. “Vapors” gets the ball rolling before the band’s big single “Heralds” really tries to get the listener pumped up. This track serves as an anthem to one’s identity in Christ. What’s cool about this track that in the intro, the bass drum kicks in at the end of the line “Check my pulse, am I still breathing?” in a way that is reminiscent of a heartbeat. “No Rival” and “Oh, the Depths” serve as other highlights of the record that have doubled as the other radio singles, the latter of which has a just released music video filmed by up and coming film-maker Nathan Lundquist. This Love’s vocalist Joe McFaddin makes an appearance on “Oh, the Depths.”
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nY5ZCNPPhE]
Musically, the band has a lot going for it but also has some room to grow. Wolves at the Gate has faced criticism in the past for being generic metalcore, but when listening to them its clear all of the members are accomplished musicians. Jeremy Steckel in particular has a lot of talent as a guitarist, and is versatile (something I can vouch for, having seem him perform lead guitar at a church conference). The remastering has resulted in a crisper, more defined sound in which the bass is a bit deeper. The acoustic tracks are a special bonus, which serve as much more than rehashed familiar tunes. The keys change and emotional harmonies are present, and the rough vocals are completely absent. All in all, these two acoustic redos are probably some of the best I’ve heard, and even if you already own the indie edition of the EP the Solid State version is worth looking at, at least.
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