Local Review: Breaux – Black Wolf

Welp, this album has cemented Breaux as one of my new favorite local acts, sucker as I am for some tough-as-coffin-nails Southern metal. The best thing about this album is its incredible range. It has more than just typical Dixie sway, pulling from influences like All Shall Perish and Every Time I Die into an amalgamation of screams and cleans, death metal and traditional rock, groove and brutality. They have macho swagger cut like a battlefield wound into a base of grimy party hop. Tracks like “The Depth” surprise with polished genre transitions and solemn emotional weight. Vocalist Sam Simpson has some serious chops, a dirty abyssal growl that turns into gorgeous cleans at his whim. Despite all the influences I could name, it doesn’t really do justice to the unique vision of Black Wolf, so just do yourself a favor and get a damn copy. –Megan Kennedy