Wolf Eyes performed at DC9 last Tuesday, treating the District to a night of some of the most abrasive, pain-inducing noise available this side of Chinese opera.
When one thinks of conventional music, certain types of rhythms and lyrics might come to mind. Lyrics like, "I love you, it's true," or "my heart is tearing apart," are all standard phrases applied to the formulaic banality we perceive as music. The band Wolf Eyes not only destroys all these preconceived notions, but virtually annihilates any shred of humanity that one might find in genres of music. Wolf Eyes is a legendary noise trio out of Detroit that uses electronics and homemade instruments to assault the listener with a barrage of chaos and confusion. Simply put, they make dangerous music, and all those who wish to experience, need do so with extreme caution.
The four openers ranged from a satirical one-man band (The Show is the Rainbow) to a violent geek (industrial noise man Purient) to playful electronic mayhem (Books on Tape).
Finally, Wolf Eyes took the stage, to the delight of everyone. "We've been listening to a lot of reggae and black metal," commented guitarist Mike Connelley, adding, "It might reflect in our set." Indeed, the evil that is Wolf Eyes did not disappoint as they assaulted everyone in the audience with a 20-minute song that utilized everything from John Olson's distorted saxophone to Nathan Young's malicious vocals. The crowd seemed to get more excited with each breakdown as the song continued to reach higher depths of violence and aggression. This was evident as guitarist Mike Connelley almost hit crowd members in the head with the metal bar with which he was beating a metal sheet.
Once the song was over, Wolf Eyes said they had one more. After this announcement, the familiar nihilistic beats of "Villiage Oblivia" came on and the audience was livid. This song is arguably the most violent song on their new record "Burned Mind," so the crowd went insane as they began playing. Wolf Eyes exploded through a 10-minute version of the song to the pleasure of everyone as the crowd seemed to get more hostile. At one point a fan picked up a beer bottle and began smashing it against the stage floor in an attempt to add to the violence the crowd was already standing in the middle of. When it was all over, Wolf Eyes stood with their arms raised as if they had just achieved a very bloody victory.
