Wolves At The Gate Are Anything But Lost In Translation

By Phil Hawkins

Within the art of music itself there are various subforms of art as well. The most prominent and most difficult is the art of the cover song. It’s a concept that is either well received or utterly hated as there seems to be no real middle ground on the topic. In some cases the cover may even overshadow the original. Whatever your view is on the art of the cover song there is no denying that they are almost universally birthed out of admiration for the original artist or song.

Lost In Translation, the latest from Solid State Records’ Wolves At The Gate, is a full length foray into the realm of the cover song. WATG are not strangers to the concept as they previously released the Back To School EP a decade ago providing a glimpse in to their ability to cover tracks by bands that they have looked up to and been inspired from over the years. It was a short digital only release, but provided some very well rounded interpretations of the original tracks. Lost In Translation expands on the concept as the band provides 10 whole tracks ranging from Twenty One Pilots to 30 Seconds To Mars.

The album opens with “Heathens” which was originally featured in the film Suicide Squad and performed by Twenty One Pilots. “Heathens” probably touches on Twenty One Pilots “heavier” side, but the tracks lyrical aesthetic fit well with the film and could even be consider as mildly tongue in cheek on the spiritual front. Wolves At The Gate manage to add a musical heaviness to the track that expands the subject matter brilliantly. From this point the band wastes no time covering a lot of ground as they follow with Linkin Park’s “Breaking The Habit” and Jimmy Eat World’s “Sweetness.” Wolves At The Gate manage to make some interesting shifts on “Breaking The Habit” that I believe would make the late Chester Bennington proud to hear the track in a new light. “Pardon Me” by Incubus rounds out the first portion of the album showing some solid diversity within genres and eras pulled from.

The middle segment of the album takes a different spin as it plays a bit to the more mellow side of Wolves At The Gate as they cover Billie Eilish and John Bellion. “When I Was Older” is an interesting choice as it is not really considered one of Billie Eilish’s more known tracks. However, it does have a haunting sensibility to it that Wolves At The Gate manages to take and expand upon with the difference in their musical stylings. It manages to keep the haunting nature and add in some broodiness for good measure. John Bellion’s “Stupid Deep” feels almost anthemic with the expansion of the guitars and drums as the original is could be considered kind of musically quirky. “The Pretender” by Foo Fighters follows and shifts things back into a heavier territory. Wolves At The Gate seem to keep this one pretty close to the original while still managing to give it their own flair and panache.

The album begins its descension to climax with Muse’s “Apocalypse Please” which is fitting track placement. However, their take while very well done, feels slightly lackluster as Muse is one of those bands who seem way more larger than life instrumentally that is hard to even come close to. It is a solid offering, but probably the only real “low” point on the album. “Diamond Eyes” by Deftones and “Attack” by 30 Seconds To Mars round out the final slots on the album with “Diamond Eyes” carrying a much different dynamic as the vocally delivery is so drastically different than that of Chino Moreno during the first half of the track. “Attack” follows very closely to the original with some minute details being changed up ever so slightly that keep it both fresh and distinctly different.

Ultimately, Lost In Translation is a fun album and very well pays tribute to each of the bands/artists represented. Additionally, it is also nice to Wolves At The Gate putting out new material so soon after their 2022 release Eulogies as there is generally a longer wait time. Lost In Translation is another solid addition to their discography and will be fun to see what tracks may get included into rotation during their live performances.

Lost In Translation is out now via Solid State Records and available on all major streaming and digital platforms. In addition, you can order physical copies of the album on vinyl via the Solid State Records webstore.

For fans overseas Wolves At The Gate have a string of dates in Europe the first couple of week in October with an opening slot in late October for Haste the Day in Indianapolis. Stay tuned to their webpage for any additional dates as they are announced.