As you recall, all of the albums from my list last year were, outside of an exception or two, were exceptionally dark. This year might eclipse that in a lot of places, but 2025 laid the groundwork for the musical landscape of my tastes, and one such honorable mention was perhaps the biggest surprise for me. Coming all the way from Australia of all places, these savages of Death Metal carve through tons of bodies, and leave the corpses in their wake for all to see. Normally I don’t really like that style, but it’s what they mix it up with that sets them apart from bands like Cannibal Corpse & such. So, put on your finest water-resistant suit, get some bleach to wash out any carpet stains, and take a look at my review for Werewolves’s gory release, The Ugliest Of All. Let’s begin!
Background
https://metalontap.com/matt-wilcock-werewolves-talks-new-album-the-ugliest-of-all-and-australias-rising-festival-scene/
Basic Description
Bloodshed, Mayhem, and Carnage.
I’ve spoken of in the past that Death Metal is one of my least favorite subgenres (But I appreciate & respect much more than I used to), and when it decides to bath is blood & guts I dislike it even more. However, I don’t mind it for some reason on The Ugliest Of All. Make no mistake: the walls are painted with all kinds of viscera, and it’ll make your stomach churn fairly frequently. Yet, the band take thing in a mildly-different direction: Werewolves is still a blood-covered Death Metal band through & through, but at times they inject a little bit of modern politics to make things at least somewhat different when you compare them to other bands in their style. Not to an overwhelming scale, but just enough to make the overall package stand out differently. The end result is Death Metal that still goes through the typical notes, but the vibes it generates makes the experience more atypical than others.
Best Track
The title track & final track of this album is the best in my opinion. Like a maniac with a chainsaw, it just carves you up with everything that goes for your ears. The drumming sounds like someone is quickly getting beat with a sledgehammer, the blistering guitar & bass feels like dozens of razor blades going across your mind, and the vocals from Sam Bean feels like the previously mention chainsaw cutting you up. As absolutely bloody & barbaric as that description sounds, it’s a technical marvel that’s incredibly well made, and one that deserves it’s spot on the album listing.
The Ugliest Of All
Worst Track
Even though I said this is one of the few times I like the gore-soaked side of Death Metal, that’s still it’s biggest flaw for me. Practically all of the bands in this style seems to be bloody just to be gross, and make people feel gross. Werewolves is no exception to this rule, but by not quite hammering some guts into a listener’s face & putting a little bit of that intensity into some atypical subject matter for the genre, it’s at least a little more palatable. Still, it does make my stomach churn, if only because of how descriptive the violence is.
Other
If you’re curious about this album, click on the link below:
The Ugliest Of All
Overall Impression & Rating
The Ugliest Of All was the sleeper hit of 2025 for me. Excessive gore not withstanding, this is one of the most technical Death Metal albums I’ve ever listened to. Despite sounding like bloody chaos sweeping all over the land, there’s far more focus & control here than I expected. I was pleasantly surprised upon first listening to this record, and while I probably am not going to seek this out again, I CAN say that I won’t disrespect the music that’s on here. Definitely not for everybody, but certainly for somebody.
The Ugliest Of All gets a 7.5 out of 10.
And that was The Ugliest Of All. An incredible exception in a genre I’m not a big fan of, it still is an album that I think about a little over a year after I found it. I haven’t listened to it often since, but a song or two does make it into my ears once in a while. So with that, an honorable mention of 2025 has been covered. See you all a week or two from now, when I’ll be reviewing one of the most potent among my no. 1 albums of last year. See you later!
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