Oracle Online

The thing that I wonder most often while listening to this band is this: Why would anyone want to voluntarily subject themselves to this? Now, I am not closed-minded and usually I am open to all sorts of new and different sounds, but this is just too much for me.

The sound of Wolf Eyes can best be described as a series of odd beeps, screeches, static, and a variety
of other noises produced when one does things with electronic equipment that is not meant to be done with such equipment.

I’ll put it another way. Imagine sitting at home and the cable is out, but the TV is on anyway, on that annoying static screen with the fuzzy noises. Now, the computer is acting up and beeping crazily, so you hit it a few times with a hammer all while running a nail along the tile floor in a very distinct pattern. Also, there is some guy in the background mumbling incoherently about doing physical harm to himself.

Think of all the noises in this situation and ask yourself this: “Should I record this and put it on an album?”
If you answered yes, it may be that you already have a record deal and are performing under the name Wolf Eyes. Or you may have strange tastes in music. I will use this term loosely. While the sound may not be this extreme, at times during the record, it may as well be.

Burned Mind is like a soundtrack for a bad horror movie where technology goes wrong and kills everyone. I guess it could be the soundtrack for any horror movie; it would fit well. But as an album that someone may want to listen to without wanting to do damage to themselves or their hearing, it does not fit well.

Some critics will try to tell you otherwise, but this is only because they never actually listened to the record. There is no hidden agenda or meaning behind the music here. With song titles - if I can call them songs - like “Urine Burn” and “Black Vomit,” I think it is pretty safe to say that the message is as mindless as the music.

You would have to read way too far into this mess to get something out of it. Some tracks, like “Stabbed in the Face,” have musical qualities alongside the incessant noise, but not enough to make the listen worthwhile.

I guess, if you are a fan of earlier Wolf Eyes or you enjoy spastic electronic noises, this may be the thing for you. Maybe I just don’t understand, or maybe you just think way too hard. My advice, however, is to avoid this album if at all humanly possible.

Wolf Eyes will be at the Triple Rock Social Club on Nov. 18.