Bloodwolf’s visceral second EP sounds sorta like Germanic metal — except that modern Germany has strict laws that prevent this level of hatred and bared-molar aggression. In Cleveland, however, such outbursts are not only welcome; they’re encouraged. Hailing from our city’s darker corners, the trio stains the semi-Teutonic steel with blotches of hardcore — which only quickens the triphammer double-bass rolls and hand-cramp shredding, moves that would give the guys in Kreator a bad case of the spins. Snarling and hissing like a trapped wild animal, singer-bassist David Maynard has death on his mind and in his throat in songs like “The Fall of Man,” “Hate This Flesh,” and “I Am Violence.”
This article appears in Feb 6-12, 2008.