Review by Adam M on September 20, 2017.

Caligula’s Horse has come back with another album in a relatively short period of time. As has been stated otherwise, there is more of a focus put upon the instruments than the vocals this time around. I must say that I’m more of a fan of this band when the vocals are put up in the mix. There are still moments of glimmering beauty to be found here, but it seems like the band lack the memorable quality that was present before. Both of the last couple of the albums had moments that attracted me far more than what’s to be found here.

The album seems to attempt to be more progressive, but it’s still a fairly elegant streamlined sound that the band has going for it. This leads to a radiating glow of a listen and it must be said that the music here is fairly vibrant. I’m not exactly sure what it is, but the memorable quality to the songs just isn’t as present as it was on the last couple of releases. Maybe giving the album more time would alleviate this, but I can’t be sure. It must be said that many of the stronger moments here were wrapped up in the final track on the work Graves.

Jim Grey’s vocals are still strong, but seem more like an extra element than the main thing guiding the songs along anymore. These vocal elements are very important to the music because they become ingrained in your head and make for the great impact the album puts forth. Maybe I haven’t given the album enough time to be digested properly, but the singing simply didn’t have the same weight to it that the last two albums had. As such, In Contact comes recommended to fans of the band, but don’t be surprised if you find the music different because of the greater focus put on the instruments than the vocals.

Rating: 7.6 out of 10

Review by Adam M on September 20, 2017.

Caligula’s Horse has come back with another album in a relatively short period of time. As has been stated otherwise, there is more of a focus put upon the instruments than the vocals this time around. I must say that I’m more of a fan of this band when the vocals are put up in the mix. There are still moments of glimmering beauty to be found here, but it seems like the band lack the memorable quality that was present before. Both of the last couple of the albums had moments that attracted me far more than what’s to be found here.

The album seems to attempt to be more progressive, but it’s still a fairly elegant streamlined sound that the band has going for it. This leads to a radiating glow of a listen and it must be said that the music here is fairly vibrant. I’m not exactly sure what it is, but the memorable quality to the songs just isn’t as present as it was on the last couple of releases. Maybe giving the album more time would alleviate this, but I can’t be sure. It must be said that many of the stronger moments here were wrapped up in the final track on the work Graves.

Jim Grey’s vocals are still strong, but seem more like an extra element than the main thing guiding the songs along anymore. These vocal elements are very important to the music because they become ingrained in your head and make for the great impact the album puts forth. Maybe I haven’t given the album enough time to be digested properly, but the singing simply didn’t have the same weight to it that the last two albums had. As such, In Contact comes recommended to fans of the band, but don’t be surprised if you find the music different because of the greater focus put on the instruments than the vocals.

Rating: 7.6 out of 10

Review by Michael on January 13, 2021.

What's going on with the Australians from Werewolves? Stepped in dog shit too often while jogging? Too little sleep? Annoying colleagues? I haven't heard such a hateful album as What A Time To Be Alive for a long time. The first song alone, 'I Don't Like You', hits the listener without an intro or any kind of introduction and leaves him, if not with a broken jaw, then at least with a bloody nose and a knocked-out tooth. I don't even want to know how the person they don't like feels. Or if they are even still among the living.

Musically Werewolves continue where they left off on their last album and are a mix of mega aggressive thrash, death, black and a pinch of grindcore (in the style of Nasum, only with longer songs). The singer screams and growls his way through the songs, the drummer, who by the way also plays for tech-deathers Psycroptic, pounds away at his drum kit like it's the one he doesn't like, and the guitars saw their way through the songs with great intensity. Guitar solos are completely out of the question here, but they would only destroy the incredibly energetic, hateful and intense mood that the album spreads (what irony in this context). Stylistically, the album is somewhere between old European thrash bands and Slayer ('They Will Pay With Their Own Blood'), Sinister and similar death metal bands ('Traitors and Bastards') and, as already mentioned, Nasum.

All tracks of the album are kept in a similar style. Each song spreads anger and aggression and there are almost no slower passages in the tracks. Only 'They Will Pay With Their Own Blood' is a slower song with catchy melodies, at least at the beginning, but it is not less intense than the other tracks. If you like an extreme mixture of thrash/ death/ black and grindcore and can well do without pieces that are held in a slower tempo, What A Time To Be Alive is exactly the right thing for you.

Rating: 9.4 out of 10