Fears & Fractures – Wolves Don’t Sleep EP Review

28th December 2024 0 By Laura Jane

Although the EP was released 3rd May 2024, before the year ends I’ve set myself a goal to get this reviewed so here we go. I present to you my review on “Fears & Fractures” by Wolves Don’t Sleep. I don’t know why I started my intro like this it felt like I was almost talking to a primary school audience so I do honestly apologize for that, not sure what my thinking in this intro was… Anyway… Let’s get into it.

Who are “Wolves Don’t Sleep”?

Wolves Don’t Sleep are a six-piece metalcore outfit hailing from Nottingham. Rumors in the grapevine are they are actively trying to rival Slipknot with their member count… Anyway, back to what I’m actually here to comment on – “Fears & Fractures” is the 3rd EP that the band has released. Having made appearances at festivals throughout the UK such as Macmillan Fest and Mangata Fest alongside playing along the likes of Ingested ( of which AATR were luckily able to check out recently if you’ve not read our review please see this >> HERE <<) and Bloodywood the guys aren’t fresh to the scene and have a nice discography to back up their talent. A notable mention here would be the “Don’t Threaten Me With a Good Time” cover which can be heard >> HERE <<.

Although I’d classify this EP as pure metalcore nostalgia, one standout track shows Wolves Don’t Sleep isn’t just a one-trick pony (I did try to think of something related to canines there for a joke but nothing came to mind, I guess it’s “to the dog house” for me”.. badum’chhh). Jesus Christ on a bike, I have to admit I think that this review has possibly been one of my most cringe ones today so I hope you guys love it because I’ve certainly made myself laugh multiple times whilst writing this.

The stand-out track is the EP-titled track “Fears & Fractures” which I found to be a great audible experience being placed 3rd in the track list felt like a nice break up in the album from the hard-hitting riffs and intense vocals that are featured on the rest of the EP.

Stand-out tracks on the EP for me were “House of Glass” and “Shame” Both of these tracks bring pulverizing riffs, thunderous double bass and technical drumming alongside aggressive screams and growls in terms of vocal contribution. I absolutely love the vibe these guys are going for with this. I can appreciate it. I applaud it.

Overall, I do really like this EP. It ticks boxes with me that I feel are deserving of a 10/10 for this. It’s got depth, it’s got emotion and each song brings a different element of nostalgic metalcore.. death metal-esque (loosely) vibes. Would I listen to this again? Yes. Have I added some things to my playlist… Also, Yes. One thing of interest that I’d like to comment on is when listening to this album on Spotify the next track to follow after the EP completion was “Broken, Lost” by Imminence and I had to take a second to check if this was still part of the EP, I guess an indirect comment would be that if you like Imminence you’ll love Wolves Don’t Sleep. If you compare their 3rd EP release music, technically to their first releases back in 2018 it shows how much this band has grown in such a short span of time. It’s glorious to see.

Hopefully, come 2025 I’ll be able to catch Wolves Don’t Sleep live and be left with the same enjoyable after feel.

Score 10/10