Out Came The Wolves – “Strange Fate” [Album Review]

It’s hard not to listen to Strange Fate, the offering from Minneapolis modern rock mob Out Came The Wolves, and not come away feeling a little frustrated. You see, being touted as “one of the ones to watch in 2017” means there are high expectations for this release but, as you listen to the end result, you find yourself with an album that can’t quite find it’s personality.

Kicking off with the punkish swagger of “96”, which sounds like Eighteen Visions meets modern-era Bring Me The Horizon, with big choruses but a bit snotty around the edges, things sound promising for the rest of Strange Fate. They follow it up with the massive-sounding “Queen Mary” but then a Depeche Mode synth-pop influence starts to nudge its way into proceedings throughout “Bleed” and, while it’s hard not to get dragged in by the hook, it’s a bit of an unexpected shift, considering the way Strange Fate opened.

The title track sees the band head off into moodier waters and, just when you think you’ve got a grip of what Out Came The Wolves are about, you’re thrown another curveball as “Kodiak” explodes into some kind of circle-pit inspiring metalcore that is followed swiftly by the equally explosive “ILoveHateYou”. Got a handle on things now? Nope, “The Curse” will put pay to that thought while album closer “Lowland Hum” winds things up in a style that will sound familiar to fans of more recent Nine Inch Nails material.

Strange Fate has some really good moments (namely opener “96” and “Kodiak”) but if you’re expecting an out and out metalcore album then those moments are few and far between. On the upside, to match the diversity of the music, Out Came The Wolves have the equally versatile frontman Cameron Burns so, here’s hoping that for album number two, the Minneapolis outfit settle on just one of their particular musical strengths and deliver a recording that really shows the world what they’re made of.

Strange Fate Track Listing:

01. 96
02. Queen Mary
03. Bleed
04. Baby Blue
05. Strange Fate
06. Kodiak
07. ILoveHateYou
08. The Curse
09. Skin & Bones
10. Lowland Hum

Run Time: 34:14
Release Date: October 28, 2016

Check out the track “Baby Blue”