Going on 10 years now, Wolf Eyes has been approaching listeners with their confrontational style of music. They play intensely loud, which has lead many to classify them as "noise." The members of Wolf Eyes, however, would tell you that the term is inaccurate when describing their brutal sound.
This brutal sound also translates into brutal philosophies. When asked for any possible words of wisdom or advice on life or music, Wolf Eyes member John Olson said, "Kill all adults."
"Yeah, we operate better without heads," member Nate Young said.
If there was any confusion as to what Wolf Eyes plays, those questions were answered quite violently this past Sunday when the band came to the Warehouse Next Door to perform on the final night of D.C.'s Sonic Circuits Festival.
The festival is an annual music event that highlights experimental music. With acts such as Phil Noblock, Yellow Swans, Mouthus and Spaceseed, the event brought together many different local and national performers in a three-day festival that Wolf Eyes' set concluded on Sunday.
"We're just going to jam tonight, and see where the night takes us," Olsen said before the show began.
The early prediction for a calmer set was later eradicated midway into the drawn out "jam session," when Wolf Eyes actually blew out a circuit breaker at the Warehouse. While the crowd thought the music was over and even the promoter suggested that everyone "go home," the men of Wolf Eyes were determined to keep playing.
The power came back just in time for Wolf Eyes to begin "The Driller," a blaring song off the new record "Human Animal." As they began the song, they were once more silenced due to the Warehouse's inability to support their power.
The band fixed the problem once again and without saying so much as a word launched into "The Driller" for a second time, annihilating the audience's eardrums and playing with much more anger and frustration. Sunday night had dealt a bad hand to Wolf Eyes and in turn, they gave it right back, destroying the house speakers and playing with a ferocious attitude.
The band finished up the unpredictable show with the title track from "Human Animal." It is the most destructive song on the new album and it was without a doubt the most abrasive point in their set as the hits of the gong by Olson came dangerously close to some people in the audience. The speakers blared out to the crowd forcing many to either cover their ears or step outside to prevent further hearing loss.
After the set, Wolf Eyes waved and, looking obviously disturbed, gave thanks to the audience. While the music was over, the crowd still had not fully recovered, as people were either screaming for more or confused as to what had just happened.
When asked about the future of the noise scene and music, even Olson expressed sentiments of confusion: "I don't know man, we're confused by the future"
