Bad Wolves refuse to follow. Instead, the platinum-certified Los Angeles band—John Boecklin [drums], Daniel "DL" Laskiewicz [lead vocals], Doc Coyle [lead guitar, backing vocals], Max Karon [guitar], and Kyle Konkiel [bass, backing vocals]—circumvent convention by stretching the boundaries of hard rock with earthquaking heaviness, enigmatic experimentation, and enthralling melodies. 

 

Bulldozing boundaries is nothing new for the boys though… 

 

Bad Wolves arrived with the rarity and the force of a lightning bolt in 2018. This collective of tried-and-true musicians rallied around an unconventional vision for heavy music, grafting rafter-reaching hooks to pit-splitting riffs and mind-bending rhythms with a penchant for unexpected twists and turns. Their full-length debut, Disobey, bowed in the Top 25 of the Billboard 200 and delivered a platinum single and a gold single. On its heels, they showed no signs of stopping with N.A.T.I.O.N. [2019]. However, Dear Monsters kickstarted another season in 2021 as "Lifeline" netted their sixth #1 at Active Rock Radio. Reaching a critical high watermark, Billboard hailed the latter as "Bad Wolves' most diverse and far-reaching album to date," and Hysteria raved, "The band has served up something truly monumental." Nearing 1 billion total streams, they sold out headline shows on multiple continents and toured with everyone from Papa Roach and Hollywood Undead to Volbeat. 

 

Now, Bad Wolves redefine their sound by burning everything down on their fourth full-length LP, Die About It [Better Noise Music]. 

 

"We definitely challenged ourselves to experiment, but we maintained a heavier edge," notes John. "We spent a lot of time making sure these songs weren't all the same, which was important to us. We tried to push the possibilities of what you can do with heavy music. This is as fresh of a start as you can get on your fourth album." 

 

"It feels like a rebirth," agrees DL. 

 

After joining the group prior to Dear Monsters, DL locked into a creative groove on Die About It. This time around, he greatly contributed to the lyrics and the overall process. Meanwhile, the collective nodded to inspirations as diverse as The 1975 and Meshuggah. Gelling everything together, John and DL co-produced the album with trusted collaborator Josh Gilbert [As I Lay Dying]. 

 

"Nobody is against any idea in the studio," says DL. "That's the most beautiful thing about this. There's no limitations. We went to the far ends of the really soft and the extreme. We made it a point to separate ourselves from the past and make this our own." 

 

That's precisely what they did with the opener and first single "Bad Friend." Lilting clean guitar underlines a delicate melody from DL only to turn on a dime into a downright nasty trudging guitar groove. It climaxes on a crushingly catchy chorus, "My hands are bound, I'll see you around, 'cause bad friends die alone."