I Cry Wolfe

Who: I Cry Wolfe

Song: I Play Dodgeball With Cannibals

What They Sound Like: Post-hardcore with a dark, almost satirical spin on classic metal.

Written By - Randall

Why This Rocks: There aren’t many foundations to build upon that are much more awesome than the post-hardcore genre. It’s like a blank canvas of unknown incredible impossibility that awaits for a collection of skilled artists to paint a picturesque melange of epicness. As someone who listens to the genre alot, it’s not often that something catches me off guard when I’m listening to hardcore music. But there’s just something about I Cry Wolfe, that will make any hardcore fan perk up and listen intently.

Coming at you hard from Marion, Iowa, these Midwest rockers take traditional post-hardcore and flip it on it’s head with smashing breakdowns and haunting, smoky synth interludes. At times maniacal, at other times downright eerie, their music will creep up your spine like the final scene of Paranormal Activity. They make a concentrated effort to record music that’s different from the typical scream-based fodder that most fans are used to. Taking different sounds from all the scary things in life there’s a kind of nightmarish quality that will haunt your dreams and roll up the hairs on your neck. It’s hard, intense, and really freaky at times (in the best possible way of course) and will make you hit the repeat button over and freaking over.

I Cry Wolfe’s unique sound partially comes from lead man Jake Schmid. His vocals are gravelly and anguished with a distinct spoken-word style reminiscent of La Dispute’s Jordan Dreyer. His style is vicious, it’s scratchy, it’s downright animalistic, and in other words it’s the perfect voice for this genre. He layers his sound within the grungy dynamics of his bandmates’ instrumental work with a level of ability way beyond what a normal unsigned band should have. Clean vocals come from guitarist and synth man Nate Cooper. While Schmid is the star of the show here, Cooper’s clean vocals are smooth and show great promise. Here’s hoping they do a Dance Gavin Dance cover sometime.

The musicianship of I Cry Wolfe is definitely young with a helluva lot of rawness - but there are times when their crispy, crunchy hooks sound extremely experienced and worthy of the Warped Tour. Bassist Nick Booth is a particular thrill to listen to as he funkadelically bounces from chorus to verse with a thumping amount of impeccable resilience. Along with Booth and Cooper, Brandon Garland’s guitars mesh to create a web of smashing badassery that crooks in and out of each breakdown. Each man assists the sound with sweet back up vocals that feel like a Mastdon meets Godsmack mash up. Pile on top Dylan Hawley’s snappy drum playing and what you have is mountain of chaos with a purpose.

Don’t let appearances fool you. If you check out the official I Cry Wolfe facebook page you might get some sort of children of the corn vibe from their rural motif; you’d never think these cats were a scary post-hardcore act. Don’t feel bad, we did the same thing too. But these are not a bunch of kids banging drums and yelling; I Cry Wolfe is a serious contender looming on the horizon of next-generation hardcore. Their experimental hooks and cautious attempts to create sounds beyond the ordinary are completely worth your time. If you love screamo with a melodic, trippy edge then get familiar with this band of rocking brothers and let their fervent silhouettes of screamy goodness smash your eardrums into oblivion.



- Randall from The Midnight Bandwidth