Feeding the Wolves
Feeding the Wolves aims straight at the chorus. 10 Years give the guitars a cleaner punch, tighten the arrangements and keep Jesse Hasek's voice close to the front. The approach produces several effective hard-rock songs. It also leaves less room for the uneasy atmosphere that makes the band's more distinctive material interesting.
“Shoot It Out” is the strongest demonstration of the plan. Its repeated vocal figure is blunt, but the rhythm gives it enough force to work. The song has a physical urgency that suits the simpler structure. “Now Is the Time (Ravenous)” uses repetition in a similar way, though the device becomes less exciting when it starts to feel like the album's default route to intensity.
“Fix Me” is a better example of the band's melodic side. It holds enough tension to keep the hook from becoming merely pleasant, and Hasek gives the vocal a recognizable emotional shape. “One More Day” offers another clear, accessible chorus. The songs are easy to absorb because the arrangements make every change obvious and keep the central melody in view.
The cost is a narrower range of expression. Hasek's more individual vocal qualities can get lost beneath the processed surface, and several harder tracks move with the same kind of pressure. “Fade Into (The Ocean)” supplies a softer change, but even the quieter material tends to arrive at a familiar emotional conclusion. The record gives less space to uncertainty than its brooding sound might imply.
There is solid craft here: the band plays firmly, the hooks are clear, and the best songs make a direct impact. The problem is that the efficient construction sometimes makes one track too easy to replace with another. Feeding the Wolves works as a focused collection of active-rock songs, particularly when “Shoot It Out” gives the force a clear identity. It is less satisfying when the smooth delivery removes the tension a song is supposed to express.
