Wild in Wildlife is how you do a debut.
If Hollywood ever gets so stupid that they have to remake The Hunger then I will be the first person to campaign for Ulterior to do the entire score. A UK-based rawk band, Ulterior’s first full-length just came out a few months ago but is easily one of the best albums this year.
“Sex War Sex Cars Sex” is that song playing during the club scene in that ’80’s movie where the hero/heroine is going through some sort of drug-fueled downward spiral. It’s synchronized chaos amidst a maelstrom of throbbing beats and guitars. Same could be said for “Too In Love To Fuck”. Think Sisters of Mercy an by way of New Order here.
Synth-heavy “The Emptiness We Share” is a song that would make Gary Numan proud during his Tubeway Army days. Where Wild in Wildlife really shines, though, is when Ulterior trade goth for grandiose on the epic title track and “Dream Dream” , both coming in well past the 7-minute mark.
A haunting guitar opens “Wild in Wildlife” and gives way to Honey’s (He’s a dude) echo-y vocals accompanied by a static bass line and a slowed down drum beat that is a dead give away to “Say Hello To The Night” from The Lost Boys soundtrack. “Dream Dream” starts off “dream”-y enough with a lush keyboard line that escalates into a sinister bass/drum combo then goes back into the air with an epic chorus.
The only complaint I have with Wild.. is the exclusion of “Weapons” which was a killer single released in 2007. The tracks that comprise Wild in Wildlife are so awesome together that the album probably couldn’t handle being any more awesomer. That’s my theory anyway. Watch below and judge for yourself.