Formed in 1984 and hailing from Tamworth, Staffordshire, it seemed that Wolfsbane were on course to be the UK’s biggest metal band. They certainly had it all; charismatic vocalist, a hard, melodic sound, plenty of chutzpah plus arms overflowing with classic tunes, but then grunge hit and Blaze Bailey left to join Iron Maiden. After a lengthy hiatus the band made a triumphant return and have been marching towards the future ever since. However, the band take a moment to look back, re-imagining and re-recording their debut album Live Fast, Die Fast for a re-interpretation of an era-defining album that makes for a truly explosive listen.
I’m always a bit dubious when bands go back and tinker with their past, fans have such a deep, emotional connection with albums that any attempt to airbrush history is doomed to failure. I was a teenager when Wolfsbane’s debut album dropped and to say it was the soundtrack to my juvenile delinquency would be something of an understatement. So, when I approached Live Faster… it was with a certain amount of trepidation; I mean, how do you improve perfection? The ferocity with which ‘Manhunt’ punched its way out of my speakers soon put any doubts to rest and finds the band operating with the same kind of energy that characterised their early career, so much so that you can almost feel the effervescence and vivaciousness radiating from the disc.
The first thing to note about Live Faster… is its sound; it’s far more even-handed than that which graced Live Fast, Die Fast and that’s thanks in no small part to the production. As much as I admire Rick Rubin’s work on albums such as Reign In Blood, Electric and Manic Frustration, his production has a propensity towards the bombastic (you could argue that he fired the first shot in the “Loudness War”) and placed great emphasis on the rhythm section and that’s exactly the aesthetic he brought to Live Fast, Die Fast. Produced by guitarist Jase Edwards and the band, Live Faster… gives the album a more inclusive sound with all the instruments placed on an even keel. Long term fans needn’t worry, the bass and drums still swing with menace, Jase’s guitar is an electrocuted snake and Blaze’s voice, older and wiser, operates in an eyebrow-raised, tongue-in-cheek fashion.
Wolfsbane always felt like fellow fans rather than rock stars (in fact, they were like the cooler older brothers I wished I’d had) and they wrote songs as such, nearly all of these ten tracks are about loose women and easy money and were the stuff off teenage (wet) dreams. It’s not an easy thing to carry over into middle age but Live Faster… carries it off convincingly. Of course, that these songs have stood the test of time hasn’t hurt and the power of ‘I Like It Hot’ hasn’t diminished in the preceding years. Likewise, you can’t argue with ‘Money To Burn’, it remains a great, great, great, great song and probably the best hit that never was. A touch of Kiss or David Lee Roth at their most explosive, ‘Pretty Baby’ brings down the curtain in pugnacious fashion, which is exactly where we came in.
Live Faster… works because the band haven’t tinkered with Live Fast, Die Fast too much. Obviously, it’s not a carbon copy (that’d be pointless) but you feel that this is the album they’d have unleashed had they not hooked up with Rick Rubin. It’s a more English album: a bit rawer, a tad more punky and spiky, and rolling with aggro. As such it’ll sate long term fans and attract new admirers.
- Live Faster… is available from here.
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Track List:
- Manhunt
- Shakin’
- Killing Machine
- Fell Out Of Heaven
- Money To Burn
- Greasy
- I like It Hot
- All Or Nothing
- Tears From A Fool
- Pretty Baby
