Hyades – The Wolves Are Getting Hungry

Before there was a new thrash album popping up every single week from Italy, there was Hyades. The band has been around since the mid-90s, but things really kicked off with their debut album “Abuse Your Illusions” in 2005. I have to imagine that this band is largely responsible for the absurd wave of thrash that has followed, simply because they’ve been doing it for so long and so well. “The Wolves Are Getting Hungry”, the band’s 4^th offering, is another record in an increasingly long line of great albums. Though their was a 6-year wait between this release and their last one, the band picks up just where they left off.

For those unfamiliar with Hyades’ style, they play no-nonsense Bay Area-styled thrash. The riffs are heavy, crunchy, and occasionally melodic. The band has had a slight tendency in the past to go a bit too far when it comes riff plagiarism, but that issue does not appear here. Sure, this record is relatively unoriginal on the whole, but it captures exactly the spirit that it set out to emulate. In particular, this album has an excess of Exodus-inspired riffs (just listen to the opening of “Ignorance Is No Excuse”).

Beyond the riffs, Hyades is notable for their distinctive vocalist. His style is not uncommon in thrash (a raspy snarl), but his approach is unlike any other singer. It’s a bit goofy sounding, but pretty effective for the more fun, skate-themed thrash the band offers. As you might imagine, playing this style of thrash means that Hyades isn’t always raging at full-speed; in fact, there’s a lot of mid-paced moments on this record. The band is pretty good at these though, in part because of their aforementioned singer, but also because this album is so heavy. The production is absolutely crushing, with the low end (and the bass drums in particular) sounding like it’s about to bludgeon your skull in. The guitars are thick and distorted, not unlike modern Exodus. The band ties this together with excellent use of gang vocals to make things even fuller.

This is one of those albums where if you’re familiar with the band, you know what it will sound like before you hear it. The only real negative is that things can start to run together after a while because the songs aren’t the most memorable. With that said, there isn’t a single moment on here where Hyades does not deliver the riffs. For this reason, “The Wolves Are Getting Hungry” is a must-listen for fans of Italian thrash!

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Highlights

"Ignorance Is No Excuse"

"The Great Lie"

Final Rating

4.0/5 or 80%. 

Written by Scott