In our ever going quest to dig up as many new underground bands as possible, we’re leased to give you another solid new band from The Netherlands, a powerful ne quintet called TO LIVE AMONG WOLVES. They just released their second EP called ‘(Dis)honored’ and it unveils the pack at their most vulnerable, detailing their inner fears and showing the mixture of hardcore, punk, grunge and beatdown the band is defined by. We’ve teamed up for a special feature in support of this release, featyuring the band’s commentary on their work, track by track breakdown of the new EP, as well as additional thoughts on their local scene.
TO LIVE AMONG WOLVES show means raw energy, emotion and unrefined power. Born out of the active hardcore and punk scene in Zeeland, this five-piece brings a message from the heart through loud and expressive music, which is an emotional outlet for both band and audience. Their music brings moshing, singalongs and a level of crowd participation that most venues have not seen in a long time. The themes they discuss in their lyrics are stories about their lives and how living your life inherently means standing up for what you think is right.
We have been an active part of the Dutch scene for about three years. We played our first shows in 2017, and after some member changes in 2018 and 2019 we have a very solid line up. When we started in 2017, we wanted to play a mix of melodic hardcore and punk. That sound has evolved more and more into an abrasive mix of hardcore and punk, with heavy-hitting breakdowns and catchy singalongs.
Recording the new EP was an awesome process. We were not quite satisfied with what we presented on our first EP, so we wanted to do much better this time around. We definitely believe that the new EP shows the growth we have gone through, both in the sound and in the songwriting. The meaning of the EP is a complex story and we usually prefer to let our listeners draw their own conclusions when it comes to the meaning of our releases, but the overarching theme of the EP is breaking free and fighting for your freedom, whether that is personal freedom or societal.
Track by track rundown:
A Serpent’s Tale: A Serpent’s Tale is a story about climbing away from under the thumb of oppression, a story that shows that when you try hard enough you can overcome anything.
Cursed Embrace: The second song off the EP, this song is about bullying and the consequences it has on one’s life. Multiple members of the band have experienced bullying in their lives, and the consequences of these experiences and the difficulties we still face every day were the inspiration to this song. The song is a big ‘fuck you’ to everyone who has ever bullied anyone, and we hope that these people realize that they have ruined people’s lives.
No Shepherd: This song is a rallying cry. It calls for a shepherdless herd to rise up, organize, and overthrow the shepherds, those in power. It is a proclamation that we will no longer work for the profit of others.
Prisoner: The last song on the EP is about the way our society functions, the effects this can have on your mind, and the fact that the majority of the people have to slave and toil for a corrupt, exploiting minority. We live in a prison of profit, in which we are the prisoners and our bosses the warden.
Coronavirus situation:
Unfortunately, due to the pandemic we had to cancel our release show and all shows in Spring 2020. However, we hope to be able to come back in Fall and Winter stronger than ever.
The pandemic has really hit us hard. As mentioned earlier, all shows have been cancelled or postponed. However, we have good faith that once all this is past us the scene will come back strong as ever. We’re all going crazy not being able to play or go to shows, so when we can play shows again, we’re sure it’s gonna be crazy!
Zeeland & Dutch hardcore scene
The Dutch scene is a very active scene, we’re very lucky haha! There is lots of cool initiatives and bands that keep popping up, allowing us to experience new things. For example, there is the Lowland Hardcore Fest, a fest that has invited hardcore bands from all over Europe to come and play in Capelle a.d. Ijssel.
We’re working hard to contribute to the scene we’re part of. That’s why we curate an elaborate playlist of all local Hardcore, Punk, Metalcore and similar bands from the Benelux area (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg). We’re always looking out for new local releases to feature and support.
Our ‘Discover Local’ playlist is already sporting a small following.
Among many other great local bands, here are some of our favorites:
Hawser, Deathtrap, Searching for Relief (rip), Hometown Crew, Trust Us We’re Liars, I’ll Get By, Rites, Second Guessing, Total Seclusion, Northern Lights, Menacer, To Adelaide. We’d also like to shout out our labels: Smithsfoodgroup DIY (Netherlands), Nosebleed Records (Belgium).
