It’s a strange question from a band that makes some of the loudest, most exciting noises in the Aussie core scene, especially when many of their songs on Half Living Things are angry, aggressive pieces. It certainly doesn’t seem like they are half-alive. But then again, sometimes volume hides hurt, and as Alpha Wolf’s third studio album progresses, this may be the key to learning what the half-living things are.
Alpha Wolf have always leaned a little closer to the hardcore side of the fence than the metal side, and this third outing is no different. The first track on Half Living Things is “Bring Back the Noise”, and they’ve done just that. From the fade-in roar like a train to turntable scratches that hint at a huge feature, “Bring Back the Noise” demonstrates early on why Australia can still claim the title for best metalcore scene.
After the noise is re-introduced, the band hit the gas. They add palpable urgency on the second track, “Double Edge Demise” by the repeated ticking of a time bomb. By track four, they’re speeding at a breakneck pace, but their featured collaborator dusts the band with his bit: original noise-bringer Ice-T. It’s a no-brainer, really, a collab between one of the fiercest metalcore bands and one of the fiercest rappers, and it’s just as exciting as it sounds. Ice-T’s question, “You wanna die?” makes GNR’s famous threat, “you’re gonna die”, sound like a playground insult. “Sucks 2 Suck” will bring down venue roofs from the US to Australia on their 2024 tours.
““Bring Back the Noise” demonstrates early on why Australia can still claim the title for best metalcore scene.”
After that biting track, though, it becomes obvious that this wolf is “bent out of shape” and “walking with a limp”. It still poses a deadly threat to any challenger, but it’s hurting more than anything. “Whenever You’re Ready” cracks open the aggression to show a softer side. It’s a big song with atmospheric guitar flourishes and a huge chorus. Maybe the band’s time with Holding Absence from their 2022 split EP The Lost & The Longing took an edge off the wolf. Then again, maybe it didn’t. The next track, “Pretty Boy”, is a violent, twisted love song that turns cliches on their head: “Nothing makes sense when I’m with you”. It’s a painful song to listen to, but it’s key to understanding the album: from here on out, what the band mean by “half-living things” crystallizes.
As the album’s halfway point passes, what Alpha Wolf meant on the third track, “Haunter”, becomes clear. Half-living things are “the creatures defined by the traumatic” and who make mechanisms of escape into habits. There’s a lot of hurt beneath this Aussie band’s raging metal music. They don’t feel alive, heard, or seen, so in the end, it’s the other way around: the ones who brought the noise are drowned “in a house full of people so loud”.
“Ambivalence” closes the album. Swelling to an epic height, it neatly combines the heavy riffs and the heavy emotions of the entire album. Alpha Wolf are not necessarily trying to break new ground with Half Living Things. They are sharing what they know about rage and loss and hurt with fellow half-living things. This third album, along with their 2024 outings around the world, promises catharsis and reflection for anyone spinning the record or spin-kicking in the pit.