We are Wolves, an indie rock trio from Montreal, blends electronic with garage and post-punk rock to make an aggressive sound.  Their third CD is Invisible Violence, and the title fits, superficially at least.  The music is loud and ragged: driving beats, thrashing guitar, and insistent synth while lead vocalist Alex Ortiz shouts most of the lyrics while channeling Ozzy Osbourne.  Unfortunately, their songs blur into each other because while the beat may change, the formula doesn’t and Invisible Violence never quite rises above ordinary.
 

Different styles abound on this disc.  “Paloma” is rock, plain and simple, while “Holding Hands” and Blue” are much more dance-oriented and “Walking Commotion” is Joy Division-inspired post-punk.  Then there’s “Dreams,” which switches styles mid-song at least three times.  Despite that, the album is surprisingly cohesive, even predictable, because We Are Wolves never fully commits to any style and so get stuck in a middling mish-mash.  They don’t take the electronic elements far enough, and while they seem to be reaching for dark and moody rock, it never quite gets there.  On “The Spectacle of Night,” for example, there is a terrific beat to start us off, a fun guitar riff, and then the song just fizzles into another half-sung/half-chanted anthem with a great bridge in the middle.
 

The biggest problem seems to be Ortiz’s vocals.  Both his range and style are limited.  I’m not sure how many notes he can actually hit because he only tries for about five or six, and he mostly half-shouts rather than sings.  He loves the rhythmic chant, but it drags down an otherwise great song like La Rue Oblique when the music is fresh and dynamic and his delivery is so flat.  “Blue” and “Reaching for the Sky” suit his voice best, but unless he can change up his style, We Are Wolves will never be able to be great.  They also need to work on their lyrics.  The music is moody and atmospheric and “I have no reasons/My reasons are you” just isn’t going to cut it.
 

“Paloma,” “La Rue Oblique,” and “Vague” are the best tracks.  “Walking Commotion” is good, too, but it’s also a fairly blatant Joy Division rip-off.  “Holding Hands” and “Near Fear” are the worst.  The rest is mostly mediocre. Overall, Invisible Violence is not a bad disc to listen or dance to, but it’s not one you’ll remember for long.  There are a few great hooks and riffs (see: “Paloma” and “Me as Enemy”), but they won’t stay with you and they aren’t more than what any other electronic-leaning indie rock band is doing.  What’s disappointing is that on a few songs, it seemed We Are Wolves was just in reach of being great but they backed off into the tried, the true, and the boring.  Until they’re ready to reach farther and claim a distinct sound, We are Wolves will stay just one of a thousand decent electronic-leaning indie rock bands.
 

Track List:
1. Paloma
2. Holding Hands
3. Walking Commotion
4. Dreams
5. Vague
6. Reaching for the Sky
7. Me As Enemy
8. Blue
9. Near Fear
10. La Rue Oblique
11.  The Spectacle of Night
12.  Bounty Waterfalls