Review and Photos by Peter Coates

Bad Wolves are a new one to me, and the hardcore rap metal / numetal ‘supergroup’ from LA made up of past members of some variously known rock and metal acts seemed to get a pretty solid reaction from the early crowd in Brisbane.

The band consists of vocalist Tommy Vext (ex-Divine Heresy, ex-Snot, ex-Westfield Massacre), drummer John Boecklin (ex-DevilDriver), lead guitarist Doc Coyle (ex-God Forbid), rhythm guitarist Chris Cain (ex-Bury Your Dead, ex-For the Fallen Dreams) and bassist Kyle Konkiel (ex-In This Moment. There is a Five Finger Death Punch vibe to the band, who released their first album Disobey in the middle of 2018, the most famous track from which was a cover of The Cranberries, Zombie which topped the US rock charts.

The set features some chunky riffs and the occasional melodic interlude, with some solid drumming from Boecklin and twin guitarists Doc Coyle and Chris Cain trading licks. Frontman Tommy V is not short on confidence, and gives his best vocal delivery with the harder tracks – and the set features a medley of oddball rock classics from QOTSA, Nirvana and System of A Down, with Chop Suey being as tight as the original, and a couple of other tracks.

Rewind to 1994 dedicated to Vinnie Paul with a brutal rendition of Officer Down, featuring some ripping guitars, before the crowd insisted on an epic version of Zombie – dedicated to Dolores O’Riordan, it by several thousand cellphones and with a huge chorus from the crowd, and Doc excelling on the solo. Good to know all proceeds from this go to her children.