BAD WOLVES Release "Remember When," & Support Dolores O'Riordan's Children After "Zombie" Cover

ROUGH ONLINE highly respect any band that has something important to say in their music, and are not afraid to bring social issues to the table that some are fearful of exploring artistically and emotionally, especially when the subject matter is very close to the songwriter’s heart, such as in this instance with Bad Wolves’ new single “Remember When.”

Reading the opening prologue leaves you to wonder at first why lead singer Tommy Vext makes an appearance in the music video, as it is explained that the assumed, fictional narrative takes place 8 years after Vext had been murdered by his twin brother. You soon realise after numerous flashbacks revealing a timeline of the two siblings’ lives, throughout the disturbing and brilliantly directed visual, that after a very hard upbringing consisting of their mother who struggled to deal with an alcoholic husband, Vext’s own brother who eventually became a drug addict and dealer attempted to murder him in 2010 where he took a baseball bat to the singer and beat him relentlessly until he did in fact die but was thankfully brought back to life by paramedics. And yes…your conclusion is correct…this is not a fictional story after all, as confirmed in the epilogue, after scenes of the band energetically and powerfully performing the song with all the aggression it needed, as well as Vext singing the bitter, biographical lyrics of “Remember When,” to an actor playing the part of his brother via a prison booth. This dark, true story was also confirmed by the singer himself during an interview with Metal Injection earlier this year.

A strong, eye-catching visual of broken homes and violent childhoods requires a dramatic piece of music, and Bad Wolves ensure that their listeners are far from disappointed. With slick, muted, electric rhythm guitars and a mid-tempo electro beat setting the scene in verse 1, along with Vext’s controlled vocal that delivers similar phrasing to Puddle Of Mudd’s Wes Scantlin and a tone reminiscent of Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger, you know that the main hook will be the biggest shock to the system, full of all the rage in the world and Bad Wolves do not let us down one bit. Its’ chorus section is packed with heavy, overdrive guitars, live drums and an emotional vocal performance that throws us back to when Aaron Lewis from Staind opened up his lungs on the bittersweet “Epiphany.” When Vext hits his higher register, the natural distortion of his voice ultimately sends a shiver down your spine. And let’s not forget his profoundly sad lyrics of honesty and regret, where each verse ends with the words “I wanted to be just like you,” referring to the naïve insecurities of thinking his brother was better than him despite his wrong doings, leading into the choking reality of knowing you cannot go back in time with the knowledge you have gained, where he screams “If I only knew then what I know now,” in its’ memorable chorus. Lyrics like “I’m so tired of the violence,” in the middle 8 section quite simply wreaks of desperation to be healed from such a traumatic experience, and ROUGH ONLINE praise the songwriter for his thoroughly direct approach. Overall, it is a Metal masterpiece.

It is no wonder after his previous experiences that Tommy Vext has become an advocate for drug addiction support, and ROUGH ONLINE were extremely touched to find out that since the release of Bad Wolves’ cover of The Cranberries’ classic “Zombie,” all proceeds have been given to the late lead singer’s children Donny Jr. and Taylor Burton, in the form of a $250,000 cheque, just a quarter of the royalties made so far. We just know that Dolores O’Riordan’s voice singing alongside Vext would have been a beautiful moment. Bad Wolves…consider ROUGH ONLINE a new fan of your craft and activism.