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I don’t often receive a lot of albums that fall under the metal genre so it was nice to get the chance to give this relatively new album a listen. Ire Wolves is made up of Mike Trepanier on guitar, Dustin Fenessey on bass and Tim Simmons on drums. Trepanier and Fenessey both take on vocal duties in the band and their approach varies, which I’ll touch on at some point.
Saying that some music is “metal” is a pretty loose description. “The Ascetic” goes from hardcore and heavy sludgy metal to melodic and pretty breakdowns and transitions. The sound carries a very dramatic feel that gets somewhat dark and gloomy at times which lands it somewhere around sludge metal and it holds to a similar sound to bands such as Neurosis or Remains of the Day in parts. It also carries experimental rock elements that could be compared to Tool or the Deftones. There are plenty of switch ups in the guitar work that keeps things interesting.
There’s just six tracks on the album so it could be called an EP but four of the tracks clock in at seven minutes or longer which seems to be fairly common for sub-genres such as doom metal and sludge. There’s enough going on with this album that the songs seem to move along fast despite their length.
The first song titled “Enduring Molasses” begins with a sample of the excerpt “fear is the mind killer” from the book and film “Dune.” There are several samples of quotes from characters and historical figures including Robert Oppenheimer and Charles Manson. The samples are a reoccurring theme of the album and many of them are a little offsetting and carry some deeper implications brought out in the lyrics.
The song breaks away from the sample into heavily distorted driving chords. Trepanier’s vocals also come in heavy with screamed lyrics. It’s nice that there are written lyrics available because it would be fairly difficult to understand without them. This isn’t to say that the vocals are so heavy and guttural that they can’t be made out with written lyrics, which would put them in the realm of what I fondly refer to as “cookie monster vocals” if that were the case. The lyrics loosely play off of the samples, “there is a struggle you must endure/way through the narrow path/strive to ensure your/slow death.” About half way through the song, it lightens up and flows into a melodic guitar solo that still holds a level of intensity. Many of the tracks on this album kind of lead a roller-coaster ride of brutally heavy to gorgeous clean parts.  
For those not into hardcore styles of music, they might not really appreciate what is going on in about half of this album and the screamed lyrics might be a turn off. The question I ask myself is, “is this adding to what the music is about or is it detracting?” I feel the way Trepanier’s vocals are done is important to the impact and feel of the songs and doesn’t go so overboard to the point where it becomes ridiculous.
The next track “Beholden to None” brings out the contrast between Trepanier and Fennessey’s vocals. I’ve had the chance to see Fennessey play in a few bands in the area over the years such as Portraits for Judith and Pennies for a Dime and while his voice has a certain energy, he’s not really the “death growl” type vocally.
Again, this song starts out heavy and then it breaks away to a melodic verse part. Fennessey’s vocals come in and are reserved in a way that could maybe be compared to Maynard James Keenan. This track seems to carry a “faith lost” message, “clean the wound to feel alive/went so deep I found a God inside/there’s another one there below/broken wings and blackened throne. Praise a God. Praise it all/lo and behold, your only hope. Lo and behold/you’re a God,” goes the first lyrics of the song.  
“Beholden to None” breaks down eventually and features a sample from renowned physicist Oppenheimer: “We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita; Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and, to impress him, takes on his multi-armed form and says, ‘Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.’ I suppose we all thought that, one way or another.” It’s another example of where the lyrics are reflecting the quotes they chose to put in.
The album is split by the instrumental track “Self Immolation” which is the shortest “song” on the album at just 1:19 minutes long. It’s more of a transition than a true song but it does stand out as there’s nothing heavy about it and it actually sounds like it’s performed using layers of acoustic guitars. It ends with a creepy droning low vocal part that gives way to the rest of the album.
The album holds its tone of being intense and dark throughout the heavy and clean melodic parts. As far as lyrical content and themes in the samples, “The Ascetic” lives up to it’s title. It reflects on an abstract spiritual struggle coming from both within and externally. It’s not like there’s all of a sudden a song about getting drunk and partying, they found their feel and basis and stayed on track even though the album is very dynamic as far as the instruments and vocals go.
Although the band is a three piece, there is plenty of multi-tracking going on, especially with the guitars. The way the samples transition between and inside the songs make the songs that go anywhere from five to over nine minutes long a unique listening experience.
Recording wise they went out to Washburn, WI and laid the album down with Ryan Rusch at The Weight Room studio. The album was mastered by Dave Hill who is known for his electronics work with his Crane Song rack mounts which were no doubt used on most every level of making this album.
For those who like their music heavier and darker, “The Ascetic” is going to be worth a listen. Ire Wolves is one of a handful of other area bands such as Wolf Blood taking on sub-genres of metal and rocking hard at the shows they play in the Twin Ports. Ire Wolves will bee playing at the Red Star Lounge on Saturday with local punk band, Gin Street, and the Twin Cities doom metal group, Wicked Inquisition.