GREY WOLVES appreciation thread

[HongKongGoolagong]

There seems to be no dedicated thread for the releases of one of my all-time favourite outfits, whose refusal to compromise/sell out, obnoxious attitude and general air of darkness makes their output really special for me. Ignoring collaborations and split releases, here's what I have:

Punishment (Tesco LP) - amazing Crass style luxury packaging and an album which defined what came to be known as 'power electronics' alongside early Genocide Organ material, almost a decade after William Bennett coined the term - the 80s PE was more of a micro-scene. Harsh and bleak tones throughout, a major bummer of a release.

The Age Of Dissent (Tesco LP) - I like this more, maybe their pinnacle for me. Hard to follow semi-buried vocals, electronic piercing sounds which could have been developed for torture, some unexpected samples (Gary Clail and a twee child singer) plus simply breathtaking nihilistic packaging.

A Wealth Of Misery / Lest We Forget (Xn 7") - very similar to the above two albums in sound, again with Crass-style foldout packaging and crude effective graphics.

Catholic Priests Fuck Children (Praxis Dr Bearman LP) - the crudest and most brutal imagery they ever used on the sleeve, LP has some more ambient sounds in parts but suffers a little for not having all the tracks segueing - still a great album.

Zero Tolerance (Membrum Debile Propaganda pic disc 7") - superb A-side of simultaneously depressed and aggressive electronics, B-side isn't one of their finer moments though.

Prelude To Terror (Open Wound 2x C90) - doesn't seem to be listed on discogs but I picked up this nice fold-out repackage of three cassettes (Legion of Hell, Passage of Demons, Sufferance Salvation plus some bonus unlisted material) during the late 90s. Predominantly the effective dark ambient material which bypasses the Hollywood cliches of the genre which became 'dark ambient' to make something more unique, unsettling and darkly psychedelic - made with such crude equipment and making a virtue out of that.

Blood and Sand (Cold Spring CD) - a full-length and major version of the 'dark ambient' incarnation released as the second Gulf War started - the sounds almost imperceptibly change from soothing to annoying throughout the long pieces - very unique.

Pure Hatred (Membrum Debile Propaganda LP) - repackage of early 90s material edited from the original Spasm cassette - some great sounds on here but also a few failed experiments (Grey Wolves go dance music at one point - doesn't really work) - also whoever at the label made that 'Jesus Hates You And We Do So' graphic needs a lesson in grammar and how a potentially great piece of imagery can be rendered ludicrous by a word being in the wrong order.

Division (Tesco CD) - their most unpopular release but one I have come to appreciate - the digital age was here so they made their no-fi statement by using ultra-lo-rate mp3s as samples and the most crudely mixed and genuinely horrible noise as a major CD release - some great vocals on here and use of crude percussion, but it really is difficult listening, which I think was the point. Crass inspired graphics once again and a quote from 'Bloody Revolutions' in the poster.

Judgement (Hospital Productions CD) - superb remastering of a great ambient era cassette. The crude graphics look terrific in a jewel case to me, musically this is damn near perfect and my favourite in that style.

The Grey Wolves represent a very authentic response to the UK's mainstream culture and corrupt politics of the 1980s and 1990s. Not especially erudite or likely to be considered high art, but a real sound of despair and hatred rooted in harsh social and economic reality. Untutored in the best sense of the word. As 'for real' and post-ironic as it gets. All of these records sound like they could be suicide notes or terrorist manifestos. Never due to be discussed in Mute magazine, The Wire or Artforum - suspected of dubious politics with no evidence beyond the distaste their work creates in the average citizen - looked at by the arbiters of musical historification as an embarrassing industrial footnote - yet to me these recordings are the real deal and everything I ever wanted from this type of music/art.

[Ashmonger]

Have got the Judgement CD, but I wasn't too fond of it if I remember correctly, should play it again.
I got two CDr rereleases from Open Wound: Punishment and Where Darkness Reigns, and it's been a while since I played these too, but I definitely liked the darkness and ominous sensation in these!

[AWWFN]

One of my absolute all-time favourites, good summation!  Early material is nigh-on untouchable.

[tiny_tove]

http://www.oldeuropacafe.com/main.php?nav=pd&prdct=12348

unmastered excerpts from the forthcoming grey wolves/wertham/survival instinct collaboration lp

[Steve]

http://muhmur.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/grey-wolves.html

Some live pictures from 2004.

[burdizzo]

I have only three Grey Wolves LPs, and my favourite is without doubt "Catholic Priests Fuck Children" - and most especially the track 'New Luddites'. Forceful and firey noise with rudimentary 'patterns' just beneath the surface is how I'd describe it. Don't remember where the 'ambient' parts HongKongGoologong talks about are, but I suppose it's all relative! Maybe I just listened to it too loud?! Anyway, sounds and presentation perfect, and I'd recommend this to anyone.

[re:evolution]

>http://www.oldeuropacafe.com/main.php?nav=pd&prdct=12348

>unmastered excerpts from the forthcoming grey wolves/wertham/survival instinct collaboration lp

Samples sound GREAT - looking forward to this!  Any info on / who is behind Survival Instinct?

Also love the albums title - "Ramraiding the Abyss". It certainly captures the particular Grey Wolves attitude / antagonism.

[HongKongGoolagong]

Any info on / who is behind Survival Instinct?

If I am not mistaken this is a new project for Trev Ward solo - a 'Grey Wolves Splinter Cell'

[tiny_tove]

yes I confirm. more atmospheric stuff, yet still loud and intense. it does not sound like grey wolves but it has the same threatening atmosphere.

regarding GW I like everything, with my preference on vocal oriented hits like victory throught violence, religion, ecc.

[Ashmonger]

Those samples sound good indeed. Something to note in my 'to be released' list.

[HongKongGoolagong]

"'cultural terrorism' never 'terrorised' anyone (a term, we picked up in the days of ronald reagen and his moral majority - who were using the term 'cultural terrorism' to attack heavy metal music/bands!), we used this term to good effect (with tongue often firmly in cheek). 'Outsider Art' as a term, would have sufficed. Long ago i reached the conclusion that if power electronics / extreme electronics (call it what you will) is being performned only to 'the converted', it is nothing more than entertainment and those pumping out the noise, nothing more than entertainers, to be listed in a sub genre file that sits not far from the established bands file. 'Another form of rock and roll for the cultural elite'. As for PE being blasted out and causing panic and terror. it would more than likely cause nothing more than minor iirritation, until the plug was pulled but an apache helicopter hovering above a crowded high street, letting off a few rounds, now you're talking :->"

-Trev Ward

[BARRIKAD]

author=HongKongGoolagong link topic=3936.msg33586#msg33586 date=1380468929]
...yet to me these recordings are the real deal and everything I ever wanted from this type of music/art.

Ha, spot on! Top GW record for me is The Age Of Dissent.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Division (Tesco CD) - their most unpopular release but one I have come to appreciate - the digital age was here so they made their no-fi statement by using ultra-lo-rate mp3s as samples and the most crudely mixed and genuinely horrible noise as a major CD release

I don't know is it most unpopular? Thinking that pressing was 750 copies, and seems like near mint condition copies sell start 20-25,- and upwards.  While 50% smaller vinyl pressing of previous album 40-50 euro...  Comparing pressing amounts, age of release etc. It seems like this unpopularity doesn't effect much?

Anyway, I feel that it's probably possible to say that they made "statement" by using crappy mp3s and low bitrate pixelated images, but one could also assume that this was not "statement", but simply unplanned outcome. I remember when Open Wound released its first CDR and they advertised it as CD. I mentioned this could be annoying for many people. He asked "what is CDR" kind of question. After I told, contacted pressing plant for confirmation and then on Open Wound site was statement with info of CDR format.
They didn't intentionally make CDR, it just happened because it was what was happening at the time. It's curious to see, that in times when xerox and hard to find images resulted amazing artwork, and while magnetic tape and hard-to-find audio propaganda resulted neat details to sound, as soon as mp3's, youtube videos and low-bit-rate images are all over the place - that's what GW works became?

See latest Japan live LP. I like the sound and songs, but god damn - the cover? How many pixels per inch? 30? One step from becoming lego-art. It is very unfortunate turn, as I have hard time believing it would be intentional. Rather carelessness or simply not giving a fuck. Moment when artists don't give a fuck, I'm sure audience is just about ready to do so too.

In that sense:

The Grey Wolves represent a very authentic response to the UK's mainstream culture and corrupt politics of the 1980s and 1990s. Not especially erudite or likely to be considered high art, but a real sound of despair and hatred rooted in harsh social and economic reality.

Seems decent conclusion. However, I do feel (like with A LOT of power electronics), it's more of listeners theory about something what just happened. I'm quite sure that eventually when someone analyses the usage of kaos-pads and ipods on power electronics live gigs, it won't be about lazy artists seeking easiest way of modern tools, but become "critique reflecting fast paced consumerist cycle", haha!

My utmost personal favorite is 3rd full length LP and absolute epic contribution to War Against Society !
I do like, and buy everything what GW has done. Including the current and whatever upcoming. But the bigger fan boy phase has started to go away due lowered standards.

[HongKongGoolagong]

Similar to the sound quality of Division, the lo-res artwork to the great 'Many Are Called But Few Get Up' collaboration 12" with Con-Dom is SO ugly and badly done that I assumed it was part of an aesthetic - using the same crude approach in the modern era as they always did back when the xerox images would be degraded and off-centred and the recordings were seemingly made on malfunctioning 4-track machines with furred-up tape heads. But maybe they indeed just didn't know what they were doing. I could even put the 'unprofessional' and homemade looking Open Wound websites there have been into that aesthetic, but that really would be me forcing the interpretation.

Not waiting for a 'luxury commemorative reissue' of the classic LPs and instead putting out a cheap and sloppy homemade CD-R really does seem to be true to the DIY, anti-commodity, anti-coffee table transgression elements of the work though.

I don't have the Free Speech Series EP, can anyone give a review?

Here is a scan from the late 90s Open Wound magazine in which The Grey Wolves imagine 9/11 before it happened with prescience, relish and the most cynical of black humour: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LhuXcQK6rNQ/Smja-g5nDwI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/qvO-qo0wCrQ/s1600/published+%2798.jpg

[jesusfaggotchrist]

What about Incarceration + Passage Of Demons, I just got agile of this yesterday and it stacks up quite well to the rest of their catalogue.