Feed The Wolf
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Feed The Wolf

Pretoria, South Africa | Established. Jan 01, 2010

Pretoria, South Africa
Established on Jan, 2010
Band Alternative Rock

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"Feed The Wolf-Feed The Wolf Album Review"

Daar is ‘n video online waar Mike Patton van Faith No More by ‘n musiekfees is en Wolfmother hulle tune, ‘Woman‘ begin speel in die agtergrond. Patton vra die joernalis sarkasties in watter jaar hy homself bevind. ‘Wolfmother, you suck!’ tune die man. Sy punt is eenvoudig dat Wolfmother nie juis iets moerse nuut bydra tot rock en roll nie, dat dit meer terugkykend is. En alhoewel ek Wolfmother smaak het die maltrap ‘n punt aan die ballas beet.

Enter Feed the Wolf wat, alhoewel hulle toevallig ook ‘n wolf in hulle naam het, eerder aan die Faith No More kant van rock sit as Wolfmother. Want dis beslis rock, maar dis nie gister se baadjie nie, pappie. Dis ‘n rock en roll leerjas vol wriemelende verrassings en rose en rewolwers en rook en vlymskerp tande onder ‘n cowboy hoed.

Hulle nuwe album ‘Feed the Wolf’ is so onvoorspelbaar soos ‘n Hoëveldse donderstorm en klap net so hard. Van rock en roll stompers tot broeiende ballades tot die spaghetti Western gallop op Revelry Gone, jaag die songs oor die musical landscape met mening. Hierdie wolf is honger en dis tyd om te jag.

Die musiek is kompleks en dit vat beslis meer as een spin van die record om dit werklik te verstaan en waardeer. Dit was my experience, in elk geval. Dis musiek wat jou forseer om te luister, dit sal nie werk as agtergrondmusiek of in ‘n elevator nie. Waar dit sal werk is in ‘n fliek, met ‘n langhaar robbies wat oor die Karoovlaktes jaag in ‘n ou Mustang, sy hot chick langs hom in ‘n denim short en bikini top, haar slanke voete op die dashboard… en ‘n swaar-gewonde gangster in die boot…

Aangevoer deur talentvolle en duidelik-ervare musikante kan mens hoor dat dit primarily kitaargedrewe songs is waar heelparty riffs, licks en leads mekaar slim komplementeer. Onder die enjinkap klop ‘n dik solid V6 bass en drom combo. Span hieroor die ongelooflike vocal range van Donovan Borne en jy kry ‘n album wat vars nuwe grond breek in die local rock scene. So vars en nuut dat ek vermoed dit nie elke ou se glas Jack sal wees nie, maar ek moedig jou sterk aan om jou oë toe te maak, diep asem te haal en ‘n groot sluk te vat. Jy sal nie spyt wees nie.

Hoogtepunte vir my is Shiver, Burning Bear, The Woe en Flicker. Laasgenoemde feature guest vocals deur Andra. Die kombinasie van Borne se male swagger en haar strelende harmonising is iets om te beleef en ‘n perfekte emosiebelaaide einde tot die album. Pure klas. - Watkykjy


"Feed The Wolf: S/T Album Review"

Usually when I’m given the opportunity to review a new album, I have at least a faint idea of what to expect beforehand. This was not one of those times.

See, I’ve heard about a certain local (PTA) band called Feed The Wolf before – most notably, Ed said something about how much he enjoyed one of their live shows, and what great guys they are – but I never really took the time to see what they were all about. According to their Facebook page, the five-piece band aims to “reignite the sweating soul of Rock and Roll,” and fall into the sleeze rock genre. I was sold right there, but you can follow the above link for more info on the band.

So, armed only with a Facebook bio to guide me, and the most expensive set of headphones I own, I excitedly dove into the band’s self-titled album.

The album starts off with the intro (obviously), which essentially sounds like someone plugging their instrument into an amp while a carnival carousel and glass wind chimes do battle with robotic wind… Yeah. But after all that weirdness, the next track “The Drowner” starts up, and we’re greeted by melodic guitar riffs, rhythmic drumming, and Donovan Borne’s… unusual vocals. It becomes apparent right from this very first song that Feed The Wolf’s sound is nothing like anything you may have heard in the South African music scene before. Fans of American rockers Clutch, and fellow PTA boys The Black Cat Bones, may notice some similarities here and there, but even those are extremely rare.

The songs “In My Bed,” and “Shiver,” make up my two favourite tracks off the album, and are polar opposites of each other in almost every way. “In My Bed” starts off with a tasty riff that gets the blood pumping, then the rest of the band jumps in to keep the speedy groove going while Borne sings and yelps about a boogie man in his bed. After all that groove, the song “Shiver” starts and instantly takes everything down a notch. It’s slow, melancholic, and simply beautiful. The song also features a moving guitar solo, and what in my opinion is Borne’s smoothest vocal performance throughout the album.

Every song on the album sounds distinctly different from the last, and it would take a lot more than my allocated word limit to even try to go through them all in detail here. But there are a few more tracks that stand out, that deserve a quick mention. “Wetsuit” is all about the raunchy lyrics that would make even the most experienced nun blush. “Burning Bear” has one of the most catchy hooks on the entire album, that just begs to be sung along to. “Bedlum Knights” is 50% groove, and 50% blues, and will have your head bobbing uncontrollably.

While there is much to love about Feed The Wolf’s self-titled album, there are also a few things that many might not enjoy as much. The drumming, which still blends well with the rest of the band, often feels a little disjointed. There are times where the drumming feels awkward, and other times where it feels like the drums are being under-utilised. Come on Jako, I know what you’re capable of! :) Donovan Borne’s vocal range is really quite astounding, but it often feels like he’s trying to do a little too much, and the switch from one style to the next between tracks can be a little jarring. While it’s not as apparent throughout the album, there are times where it feels like songs are going nowhere. Build-ups galore, then… waiting for the punch…

To round it off, Feed The Wolf certainly have a unique sound, and have obviously tried to incorporate as many new ideas and styles into their debut album as possible, but it may just have been too much, but that’s just my opinion.

If you’re still reading, be sure to catch their album launch this weekend! - Why.Ed.com


"Feed The Wolf: Feed The Wolf"

Feed the Wolf is a rock band from Pretoria. Their first full album has just been released, and it’s quite a journey. While the words Alternative Rock may ring hollow on many occasions, Feed the Wolf has undeniably created something that lives up to the name. Surprises lurk around every sonic corner, so while some songs will be instant favourites, others require greater effort to understand. The album teases, frightens, ebbs and flows. Although this is far more risky than a formulaic approach, it also yields a more interesting final product, and while many might not enjoy every single song on the album, the ones that stand out make up for it.

‘Revelry Gone’ and ‘The Woe’ sound like adaptations of a Cowboy movie soundtrack, including seldom-heard declarations of “Yeehah.” Feed the Wolf are from Pretoria, not the Wild West, so this comes as a bit of a shock. This isn’t the only thing to catch you off guard though – ‘Shiver’ throws around accents and ‘Rosetta Stone’ uses an incredibly strange rhythm that I’m still unsure about. The pinnacle of the album for me was ‘Bedlum Knights’ with its chunky verse riffs that evolve to a highly palpable chorus with that bouncy reverb coming at you from every side. The lyrics are full of vivid imagery so there’s always an obscure narrative to follow.

The guitars, bass and drums show very little sign of alteration in studio, so the overall sound is raw and direct. It’s the vocals that are most remarkable: With so many vocalists trying to reach the high notes, the value of a lower range has often gone unnoticed. It was Laudo Liebenberg’s baritone on ‘Safe as Houses’ that first opened my eyes to the value of this, and to that end, Donovan Borne controls his unique voice masterfully. He growls with a cavernous baritone the likes of which I haven’t heard since I was first listened to Clutch’s Neil Fallon. It’s the voice of an impassioned Southern preacher, or perhaps a weathered travelling story teller – it’s a voice that demands attention and exerts great weight upon his every syllable. On top of this, there is unconventional use of surf-rock reverb on the vocals that adds manic ripples of sound, colliding crazily and to great satisfaction.

I often felt that the potential energy of the band was bridled by the sound I heard on the recording. The guitars are panned hard to the left and right respectively, so there’s no satisfying cohesion of mid ranges to give it the necessary punch. Of course, there are many problems in the arena of recording because the live experience that a band offers is not always something tangible to harness. These should not be factors with which to condemn them, but rather a good reason to see them live.

Feed the Wolf’s debut is powerful, obscure and entertaining. They’ve done whatever the hell they wanted – there’s nothing more rock n’ roll than that, is there? - Texx And The city


"We chat to Feed The Wolf about their latest album"

Feed The Wolf are a Pretoria based band who have been together for a solid 5 years now, the band calls their sound “sleaze rock” and aims to awaken the inner most primal instincts of rock n roll. The 5 man strong band comprising of established musicians, each a specialist in their own rite. Feed The Wolf seem to thrive on stage and feed of the energy that can only be generated by live performances but that has not stopped them from releasing a full length studio album self-titled “Feed The Wolf”.

The album is a 15 track journey through the melodies and rhythms produced by what is a clearly a very talented and experienced group of individuals who come together seamlessly as Feed The Wolf. Your guide on this journey is the ever-present Donovan Borne whose voice is the glue that holds the act together, we had the opportunity to chat with Donovan about the band and their latest offering as Feed The Wolf, this is how it went down.

MA: HI Guys, thanks for your time. Please could you introduce us to the band?

Jako Loots – Drums
Illimar Neitz – Lead Guitar
Juan Le Roux – Rythm Guitar
Jonathan Georgiades – Bass
Donovan Borne – Vox

MA: You guys have been together for the better part of the last 5 years, can you shed some light on your journey to where you are today?

We started out as a cover band for the Tabazimbi Wildsfees of all things. After two years of jamming other guys music we decided,one drunken evening,that we should have a crack at writing original music. The first few months thereafter were a mix bag of melodies and styles we slowly took hold of and shaped into the unique sound we present, presently. Juan Le Roux joined the band and threw in his lot about 3 years ago and we’ve been lumbering along ever since.

MA: You have a classic Rock n Roll sound fused with the smoothest of blues, yet you describe your sound as “Sleaze Rock”, how Would you define your sound to someone who has never heard your music?

It’s funny you mention the blues thing. We get that now and then but can’t really hear it ourselves. If it’s come out that way, it was never intentional. Nothing we do is ever really that intentional in terms of influence. We’ve had our sound compared with everyone from Danzig to Mr. Bungle to Muse to Elvis to Clutch. Everyone in the band likes different things in terms of music, and while this often makes it difficult to agree on things in the writing process, it always produces something special and unique. That’s how I’d describe it. Unique Rock n Roll

MA: You guys have just released your album, simply titled “Feed The Wolf” – How has the album been received by your fans and the industry in general?

We’ve just rolled it out and so far, so good. We love constructive criticism. So far it’s been really useful and has indicated that we’re doing something different and new. New isn’t an easy feat to accomplish these days.

MA: Each song on the album has a definite symbolism and your inspirations are taken from real-world situations, would you say this is an accurate statement?

No. Inspiration for the lyrics comes from anywhere. Most of it is fantasy, based on instinctual feeling or reptilian scenarios. There are a few songs that depict, albeit in a very symbolic way, real world problems; but for the most part it’s fantasy. However, the lines of fantasy and reality can be blurred. There’s nothing wrong with fantasizing about real world scenarios and there are one or two songs on the album that dive into this grey area.

MA: The band seems to have a strong opinion on the current state of South African rock music, care to share your thoughts?

The general feeling and outlook, from our side at least, is a bit grim and negative. So for that reason I think it better not to delve too deep into it. After all, if you haven’t got anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.

MA: To date, what has been your most memorable moment as “Feed The Wolf”?

I suppose everyone in the band will have their individual favorite moment. For me it would be the show at Up The Creek. The audience were as surprised by us as we were by their response. That’s a rare and magical feeling. Easy to understand and completely transcendent.

MA: Are you currently working on any projects that you would like to share with us?

At the moment we’re just planning our onslaught on the airwaves. The year is almost done, so planning for 2016 begins.

MA: Where can people follow you?

Facebook
Twitter: @FTWfeedthewolf
iTunes
SoundCloud - Mixed Apples


Discography

Feed The Wolf 2015

Photos

Bio

Formed in the winter of 2010, Feed the Wolf wrote and rehearsed their first batch of hard hitting original sleaze rock anthems for more than a year before seducing audiences for the first time, with a band taster at a Springbok Nude Girls gig in Pretoria. Feed the Wolf continued their onslaught of live performances, sharing stages with the likes of Peztroy, Newtown Knife Gang, Shadowclub, Van Coke Kartel, Fokofpolisiekar and Die Antwoord. The crowds have been left dazed and spellbound. Heaving and lurching as if intoxicated and beaten punch drunk by Feed the Wolf’s brand of Rock indulgence. As the name suggests Feed the Wolf urge, all who listen, to succumb to their senses and submit to their most basic of primal impulses. Surrendering to their instincts and losing themselves in what it means to Rock and Roll, an ideal which the band feels has been lost in so called South African music. Feed The Wolf is comprised of 5 members. All established musicians who lend their individual skill and varied influences to collectively fuse together a new and unique progression in the South African rock experience. Jako Loots lays the bedrock foundation with massively obese but alluringly elegant and controlled beats. Jonathan Georgiades rounds out the rhythm section by delivering creamy jazz infused bass lines as seductive as silk on naked skin. The heart of the band’s sound beats with Juan Le Roux on guitar, bleeding life and tangible energy and deep rhythmic precision into every song, while Illimar Neitz paints the music in hues of electricity, delivering the expertise of a master artists hand on his Stratocaster. Donovan Borne completes the band with his evocative vocal styling’s through which he flirts with and beds every aspect of the emotional and vocal range. 2015 sees the release of Feed the Wolf’s debut self titled album. A 15 track epic, two years in the making with which Feed the Wolf plan to reignite the sweating soul and unmovable spirit of live music and more specifically Rock and Roll. Burn your soul. Feed the Wolf.

For Bookings contact: Vici Maud Fourie: Cell +27 84 504 3893 Email: vicimaud@gmail.com


Band Members