Finnish melodic death metal band Wolftopia have released their third single 'The Alpha'.
Album cover by Roberto Toderico
'The Alpha' is the third single off of Finnish melodic death metal band Wolftopia's upcoming debut album 'Ways of the Pack'. This new song shows off the fast paced sound that Wolftopia are known for. Opening with a frenetic guitar riff before settling into a menacing riff which is accompanied by unforgiving blast-beats and a pounding bass line this is one heavy song with a story to tell.
Okhotnikov explains that the song is about the chaos of nature: the breath of the wild, the harshness of existing at the mercy of nature, the never-ending, cruel cycle of life... And listening to the song, that's not hard to imagine. From the first of Okhotnikov's howls to the tremelo picking and majestic chords by lead guitarist Topi Karhunen, the song breathes that chaos. The melody occupies the middle ranges- neither high nor low - which makes it difficult to interpret, and this interpretation is not aided either by the movement of the melody: it moves up and down at seemingly random intervals, fully encapsulating the unpredictability of the wilderness. The lyrics tell of dominance in a wolf pack. Okhotnikov admits that the alpha male theory has long been debunked, but the idea persists in popular culture, and it's an enticing metaphor for the cyclic nature of, well, nature. The alpha leads the pack, grows old, and is replaced by the next alpha. The cycle starts again. The notion of repeating cycles can also be heard in the music. The main melody continues into the verse, and the pre-chorus melody into the chorus, changed but still the same. And this cycle of verse, pre-chorus and chorus repeats throughout the song, too, just like the cycle of nature. The song ends with the introduction melody, but changed yet again. We are back at the start. The cycle is ready to repeat itself. But everything keeps changing. The wilderness is never predictable.
Band Line Up
Aleksander Okhotnikov: Vocals & Guitar Topi Karhunen: Guitar Tim Rues: Bass Tom Israels: Drums
Watch the video for 'The Alpha'
Listen to 'The Alpha'
Pre order the 'Ways of the Pack' physical CD HERE
Pre save 'Ways of the Pack' HERE
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Picture by Hannu Perala (Hannu Perala Photography)