By Brian Kim
Fans of heavy, brooding sludge and post-metal rejoice! Portland dark psych outfit Hound The Wolves has revealed their debut single, “Masquerade”, and it will crush your soul into a fine dust before igniting it into the cosmos.
Clocking in at just over thirteen minutes in length, “Masquerade” is an epic sonic odyssey across mountainous riffs and vast, open, soundscapes. Guitarist and vocalist Juan Carlos Caceros lays the guitar down thick and heavy over the pulsing grooves from the rhythm section comprised of bassist Cory DeCaire and drummer Ryan McPhaill. A simultaneously earthy and otherworldly atmosphere permeates the heaviness, provided by Tim Burke’s haunting lapsteel and Nate Wright’s tripped out arsenal of synths, samples, and auxiliary percussion, all while Caceros’ vocals, drenched in reverb and delay, seep in and out of the song.
With songs as long as this, dynamic and engaging songwriting is key, and Hound The Wolves have definitely succeeded in capturing these elements in “Masquerade”. The song traverses several musical ideas and moods while remaining cohesive, and continues to be engaging even during the more repetitive and droney sections of the song.
Stream “Masquerade” now on Hound The Wolves’ bandcamp page and keep your ears to the ground about the upcoming record which this single will appear on.
