Enter, if you dare, into the dark, twisted world of Wolf & Chain as they release their deadly new EP ‘Amor Mortal’ (out October 29), where all love is doomed and happy endings are ripped out with clawed, blood-stained hands.

Delving deeply into the dangers of love using fervent emo-punk precision and an insatiable thirst for damaged goth narratives, the Adelaide-based theatrical pop-punk outfit has let loose a six-track storybook collection of dark fairytales, using fantastical elements to reflect the human experience of being consumed by love. Frontman Jack Cumes explains:

“The EP explores the themes of Deadly Love; we love even when it’s bad for us, we follow love into dangerous territory, we let love consume us, and we love even if it destroys us. Love can make you feel entirely alive in one moment and completely dead in the next.”

Never known to shy away from truly embracing their rock-opera flair, Wolf & Chain open ‘Amor Mortal’ with a bare-bones prelude aptly entitled ‘An Introduction’ setting the scene with a narrator-style delivery that offers an ominous premonition of what is to come.

‘Hex’ detonates in a firestorm of venomous angst as unrelenting electric guitar riffs, adrenaline-fuelled drums and Cumes’ possessed vocals unite as an act of pure vengeance. Representing a war between a witch and their lover, the piercing punk track moves with a ferocious power that binds and curses as love transforms to hate.

Next, ‘An Unfortunate Tale of Two Lovers and an Insatiable Taste for Poison’ arrives with turbulent drums and violent guitars, the prowling vocals of the frontman detailing a cautionary tale about the horrors of blindly following love down a dark path, as the band reigns their distinctive emo-punk chaos upon us all.

In a gasping rush of hyperactive electric guitar riffs and heavily accented drums, ‘Far From Home’ leaves no room to breathe as Cumes’ yelling tone warns of love’s ability to hollow people out until there is nothing left but an empty shell. Wolf & Chain stretch their sound in this track, with distorted guitar noises, a slowing tempo change and a show-stopping guitar solo reminiscent of 70’s rock.

Shining through the EP as a wake-up call to own your pain is ‘Still Alive’, a quintessential pop-punk track paying homage to its early 2000’s roots with addictive lyrical hooks, optimistic punk chords and the underlying glee that comes from venting angst through a full-volume mosh session, reminding us that feeling pain means we’re still alive.

Oozing with unease, lead single ‘Taste of Blood’ takes the EP to its unsettling end, with spine-chilling moments of piano, suspenseful choir and the ping of the glockenspiel emerging between thrashing punk-rock instrumentals, demonstrating the vampiric nature of obsessive love and its ability to turn people into monsters. With a final desperate promise, the book is closed on this tale, from now and into eternity.

With an ever-growing cult following lured in by Wolf & Chain’s undeniable magnetism, the band continues to turn heads, recently joining the massive Destroy All Lines roster. Furthermore their previous releases have seen support from Rolling Stone AU, Don’t Bore Us, Wall of Sound, Hysteria Mag, Heavy Mag, Dead Press (UK), AU Review, AAA Backstage, Triple J, Triple J Unearthed, Triple M and The Faction.

Just in time for Halloween, Wolf & Chain are releasing their twisted punk-fused tales in EP ‘Amor Mortal’ on October 29, living tragically ever after.

‘Amor Mortal’ Vinyl pre-orders and more are available now via 24Hundred.

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