Introducing….Wolves Don’t Sleep
Today, Click Roll Boom caught up with Wolves Don't Sleep, a six-piece Metalcore outfit from Nottingham, U.K. Known for their nostalgic blend of early 2000s Metalcore, drawing influences from bands like I Killed The Prom Queen, Killswitch Engage, and Bullet For My Valentine, Wolves Don't Sleep have made their mark on iconic UK festivals and venues, sharing stages with acts such as Ingested, Our Hollow Our Home, and BloodyWood. Following the success of their debut EP "Clarity" in 2020, they garnered glowing media attention, including praise from Kerrang!. Now, in 2024, they're back with their third EP, "Fears & Fractures," heralding a new era for the band and delivering a powerful message to those who struggle to voice their feelings in a closed-off world.
Could you share how your band first came together? What initially sparked the collaboration?
The band was put together by myself (Steev) after I decided I wanted to get back into heavy music after some time away from it. From there I grabbed Connor to play drums as we've always been in bands together. The rest of the boys were found over our numerous line up changes.
Who would you say has influenced your music the most, and are there any less obvious influences you draw from?
It's a combination of the old guard with slipknot and lamb of God or newer bands such as bleed from within and polaris to create a cutting metalcore sound. Some of the more out there influences and ideas have come from black metal bands such as dimmu borgir & dark throne. Our producer got us into a pop artist called chinchilla. We'll be revealing a full playlist of EP references soon so keep an eye on our Spotify.
Could you walk us through your songwriting process? How do you typically go from an initial idea to a finished track?
A lot of the time we will craft little snippets of ideas individually then pull them together in one of our home studios. If we're practicing one of us may throw a riff out and we'll jam from there. I am constantly writing lyrics whenever ideas or concepts come to me. After a few home studio sessions we'll have rough drafts to choose from and tweak from there.
What do you aim to convey in your live performances? Is there a particular vibe or energy you strive to bring to your shows?
One of the key things we try to convey is the pure catharsis of our art and hit the audience as hard as we can with the raw aggression behind our work. But at the same time we'll always be grinning from ear to ear as we're having the best time so you end up with a group of smiling heavily painted goths on stage.
How do interactions with your fans influence your music and performances? Can you share a memorable experience with a fan?
A lot of the time it helps make the band feel very life affirming, every time someone asks for a picture or to sign stuff it feels very unreal as we don't expect it at all. There's one lad who I spoke to who found our music as he was coming to Notts to study at uni and he asked about the scene ect. Bumped into him at slam dunk fest one year wearing our shirt and it was such a wholesome experience to meet someone repping us in public.
What can you tell us about your latest project? What themes or sounds were you exploring with this new release?
Fears & Fractures is essentially a rebirth of the band as we have solidified our lineup and writing process. Thematically it follows the challenges we face as artists and people that our plans for life won't work out and we're constantly wishing we could have done things better. Sound wise we chose to drop our tuning and go heavier and more aggressive while experimenting with heavy electronic elements which lead to our friend joining us to play synth making us a 6 piece.
Every band faces challenges, whether it's creating music or on tour. Could you share one significant challenge you've overcome and what it taught you?
The greatest challenge we have faced has simply been not having the right people in the band. As we've had a lot of previous members. People will say they want to be in a band but then not put in the work it takes to keep the ball rolling. Even making the hard decision to let someone go as they were no longer meshing with the unit as a whole. The greatest challenge is finding the right group of people you can easily spend large amounts of time with.
Looking ahead, what are some goals or aspirations you have for the band?
Are there new musical directions you're excited to explore? We want to play more shows in as many places as we can and start hitting festivals. From this EP as a starting point we plan to really push our sound and get weird with it.
Outside of music, what influences or inspires you? Are there books, films, or artworks that resonate with your band's ethos?
I can only speak for myself from a lyrical perspective. I take a lot of inspiration from random radio shows I hear on radio 4 which is where the EP got its name. It was a small piece about music as a cathartic process. I can take little snippets for lyrical concepts from some of the books I read from the Warhammer 40k universe alongside greater works of fiction like the Lord of the Rings and game of thrones. It's less about the grand scale but the smaller snippets talking about emotional vulnerability and perseverance against all odds.
If you had one message or piece of advice to share with your fans, what would it be?
Never give up and focus on doing what truly makes you happy. This band is that to us and it is the main driving force for who we are as people.
