Now Hear This: “Still Waiting” (We’re Wolves)

Horror-metal barnstormers We’re Wolves are at it again with a new song that continues to elevate their profile and impress this reviewer.

Before hitting mainstream success with their debut album Evil Things, the five-piece outfit from Florida were primarily a cover band, cranking out their unique spins on “Break Stuff” by Limp Bizkit, “Before I Forget” by Slipknot, and “Bodies” by Drowning Pool, among others.

The Sum 41 punk/rock anthem “Still Waiting” was already a stomper when it was released back in 2002 on the Does This Look Infected? album. Twenty years later, We’re Wolves has breathed new life into this classic track, amping it up to eleven, adding their screamcore aesthetics and turning “Still Waiting” into an absolute piledriver. The song was officially released today, April 29th, 2022.

It bears repeating; this isn’t your father’s Sum 41.

I can’t say that all of the We’re Wolves covers have moved me, as some have more bite (pun intended) than others. For example, they manage to make “Break Stuff” eminently listenable, words I never expected to write or utter, while their take on “Last Resort” by Papa Roach just doesn’t work for me.

“Still Waiting”, however, hits that sweet spot between homage and invention, staying relatively true to the source material while layering on the We’re Wolves brand of metal.

The drums by Jesse Secatello are prominent in the mix, delivering a double-bass rumble that propels the song forward with the determined fury of an angry mob.

You want guitars? We’re Wolves brings them with ferocity, though Andrew Salazar’s bass guitar gets a little lost in the mix.

And the vocals by AJ Diaferio are pure fire. “Still Waiting” clocks in at two minutes and forty seconds, and there are very few moments that don’t feature AJ raging and railing against the world.

One of the things I noticed with the debut album from WE'RE WOLVES — and which bleeds through in nearly each of their single releases as well — is how much fun this quintet is having. Click To Tweet

Kudos to them for garnering accolades and listeners, but I personally hope they never lose the scrappiness of a band fighting for recognition.

There’s something infectious about a band just making music for music’s sake. And I want that feeling to remain for as long as possible.

My hat is off to We’re Wolves.

If they can continue to capture that manic energy in their future songs, they will no doubt continue to ascend and garner more and more listeners.

I have to imagine that their live shows are frenetic affairs as well, and if they ever manage to bring their horror-metal sounds to the pit of despair that is Utah, I’ll do my best to attend. Keep spreading that evil gospel, boys!

Also, as a bonus, to mark the six month anniversary for the release of Evil Things, Morbidly Beautiful, working in conjunction with We’re Wolves’ publicity company WTF Publicity, have compiled a track-by-track breakdown of each of that album’s songs. Considering that the concept of Evil Things is based heavily on Dante’s Divine Comedy, and the boys are also huge fans of horror as well, it seemed like a win/win.

After all, what better way to learn more about each of the album’s ten terrifying tracks than from the musicians themselves?

I had the privilege of reviewing this record back in February, giving it a solid 4/5 rating. Heavy screamcore with evil undercurrents will always have a place in my heart, and Evil Things definitely stood out. Let’s see what the boys have to say about it!

We’re Wolves Discuss Their Album Evil Things, Track-By-Track

Welcome to Hell 

“Welcome to Hell” is a song about Dante’s arrival in hell where he meets Virgil for the first time. The song depicts the journey from the land of the living to the entrance of hell. Bryan Kuznitz’s feature in this rock opera-esque journey is that of Virgil, the guide in the afterlife. Bryan guides me to my final tortuous resting place for all eternity. In a way this song represents coming to terms with repercussions of your sinful actions.

Wasteland

“Wasteland” is a representation of Gluttony, relating to the layout of the Hellscape in Dante’s inferno. The deeper meaning behind “Wasteland” involves my daily battle with addiction. The gluttony that lives inside me that constantly wants to hold dominion over me and send me spiraling towards needles, pills, powder, and alcohol. The song to me represents the gluttonous nature of a struggling addict fighting to get clean.

Life of a Parasite

This song has many, many, many reasons behind it…a lot that I can’t really get into legally…it’s based off Heresy, and it’s really just about going against what you know to be true, and alienating yourself to prove some meaningless point. This song has evolved into an anthem about not letting someone hold power over you, or letting them intimidate you with threats to follow their views and opinions. At the end of the day, this song is one big fuck you to someone who tries to get one over on you and runs away like a coward. Being smarter than your enemy and waiting to strike. Letting them make a Fool of themself while staying true to your own beliefs and what you know to be right.

Wrath

“Wrath” is simple; this song is based off the hellscape of the same title in Dante’s Inferno…it is pure sonic hatred. That evil festering inside your head that wants to destroy your enemies down to their core. We all have these voices in our heads that want to cause total annihilation, and we’re constantly trying to silence that rage. To me this song captures those feelings and puts them into an anthemic mosh pit song, designed to push out that negative energy. When we all get pushed to the limits, and hatred consumes us, we tend to make mistakes on blind judgments. Whether it’s causing harm to someone specific or to ourselves. This song, to me, captures the wrath that lives inside all of us…waiting to get out and cause devastation.

Limbo

This track is pretty much a build up into “Fall With Me”, representing the change in direction of our sound. Almost like a creepy waiting room vibe. Keeps you suspended in motion as you’re traveling into this new space of creative expression.

Fall With Me

This one’s pretty easy; it’s just about passionate sex. Giving in to each other’s deepest desires. This song was based around Lust. Parts of the lyrical content can get a little bit on the rougher side, but hey…that’s just passion.

Under My Throne

This song is based off violence, about not letting people hold power over you… especially the undeserving. This song was written from the point of view of someone wanting their success speak to for itself. They say the best revenge is success and this song is an anthem for channeling that kind of energy.

Sell Your Soul

This song is based on Greed. Wanting to live a lavish life like the celebrities we see on TV and on social media. The desire to have everything you ever wanted but cannot obtain, and the willingness to sell your soul to the devil to get it. Being sick of your mundane life, and simply wanting more. This song to me is greed in its purest form.

Pride

This song represents the Hellscape of the same title. This song is about pride taking control over you and causing you to mask the truth. Unable to differentiate between what’s true and what a person believes to be true. It’s a call-out to those who act smarter than they are, or confuse true intelligence with book smarts. A person can have a Bachelor’s degree or doctorate and still be an arrogant idiot. I guess this song is really just about swallowing your pride and admitting that you don’t know what the fuck you’re actually talking about, about letting go of your ego. We featured Spencer Charnas on this song, who is a longtime friend of ours, and his vocal style just fit perfectly with this hook.

Between The Cracks

This song, in my opinion, transports you to the last layer of hell. Being frozen from the neck down and staring the devil in the eyes. Isolated, stuck, scared, and forced to spend eternity contemplating everything that went wrong to get you here. Really, it’s just a song about coming to terms with your past mistakes, and accepting the outcome of your actions. Taking a mental inventory, and learning to forgive yourself before you go completely insane. This to me is the scariest of all the layers in hell…this is Treachery.