Artist: Wolves At The Gate
Album: Captors
Release Date: July 3, 2012
Label: Solid State Records


Solid State has been a staple in terms of heavy christian music. Unfortunately, it also has lost some of it's greatest artists in the last few years (i.e. The Chariot, and Norma Jean.)  However, lately Solid State has really started to kick it up a notch. With some of the recent "new breed" signings, Solid State has given us The Overseer, and Wolves At The Gate. Two bands that I believe will be shaping Solid State back in to the label it used to be.Wolves At The Gate has been on my radar for a couple years now.  They released their EP We Are The Ones last year independently, and it was instantly a hit for me.  Their sound was not super unique, but they did have the maturity to come in to their own. When I heard that Solid State was signing them, I was really excited to hear them expand on the mastered sound of the EP.  Captors, is something really special.

Wolves At The Gate have just released their new music video for the song "Dead Man," which comes off of the band's upcoming full length debut, Captors, which will be available in stores and online on July 3rd through Solid State Records, which can also be preordered right here:  http://merchdirect.com/wolvesatthegate

TO SPEAK OF WOLVES Debut 'Hivemind' at Revolver


Third track premiered from sophomore album, Find Your Worth, Come Home


Available in stores and online May 22 on Solid State Records


Spring U.S. headlining tour announced


May 2, 2012 -  With their ferocious new album, Find Your Worth, Come Home - set to drop in just under three weeks, North Carolina hard rock rioters TO SPEAK OF WOLVES are set to premiere another hard-hitting song - the album's leadoff track, "Hivemind," streaming now exclusively via heavy music tastemaker Revolver.

Listen to 'Hivemind' at RevolverMag.com now:
http://www.revolvermag.com/news/to-soeak-of-wolves-premiere-new-song-tktk.html

"'Hivemind' was the last song we wrote for the record," explains drummer Phil Chamberlain. "In fact, we actually wrote it in the studio after we were done arranging the rest of the songs on the album. We wanted a song that was fast and a little chaotic, but also short and sweet to open the record, and that became 'Hivemind.' Lyrically, the song is about coming from a broken home and wanting to make everything better, but you can't."

Fans can get a chance to preview the band's new material on TO SPEAK OF WOLVES' U.S. headlining tour, set to kick off in just a few days. Presented by Evolve Over Hate clothing and Substream Music Press, the tour stretches from May 4-June 2 with support from HARP & LYRE. Joining the bands on select dates are Solid State label mates WOLVES AT THE GATE (May 8-14), as well as FALLSTAR (May 18-21), LIONS! TIGERS! BEARS! (May 22-26), and SET THE SUN (May 28-Jun 2).

Find Your Worth, Come Home sees the band's revitalized lineup reaching into darker, heavier and faster territory. The sophomore album is follow-up to TO SPEAK OF WOLVES' heralded 2010 debut, Myself < Letting Go, which catapulted the band onto the national stage with its road-rash riffage and soaring, arena-worthy choruses. Relentless touring alongside likeminded bands such as UNDER0ATH, AUGUST BURNS RED and BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME underscored the fact that the Greensboro, NC quintet were a force to be reckoned with. The band quickly became a beacon within the hard rock and metalcore scene, despite – or perhaps because of – their unwillingness to become yet another facsimile spewing forth endless breakdowns and Auto-Tuned choruses. TO SPEAK OF WOLVES refused to do either, and fans loved them all the more for it. While fans will continue love those same aspects of the band's musical personality, Find Your Worth is an album of rediscovery, one that freshly stamps what TO SPEAK OF WOLVES is about, from its title on down.

Now, driven by the dominating vocal presence of Speas, TO SPEAK OF WOLVES are ready to blow the doors wide open. “This record is something that we're incredibly proud of," Chamberlain says. "We couldn't be more stoked and proud of what we've created with this album. We are excited and can't wait to share it with everyone!"

Evolve Over Hate & Substream Music Press Present: 
Find Your Worth Tour with TO SPEAK OF WOLVES, HARP & LYRE
May 6 Richmond, VA @ Kingdom
May 7 Lexington, KY @ The Aura
May 8 Goshen, IN @ The Goshen Theater *
May 10 Chicago Ridge, IL @ Bobby Mcgee's *
May 11 St Louis, MO@ Cicero's *
May 12 Joplin, MO @ Solace w/Harp & Lyre *
May 14 Wichita, KS @ Eagles Lodge *
May 17 Boise, ID @ The Venue
May 18 Centralia, WA @ Quesadilla Factory **
May 20 Camas, WA @ Revolution Room **
May 23 Las Vegas, NV @ The Sanctuary ***
May 25 Canoga Park, CA @ Cobalt Cafe ***
May 27 Albuquerque, NM @ Amped Performance Center
May 28 Amarillo, TX @ Vintin ****
May 30 Victoria, TX @ Downtown Bar and Grill ****
May 31 Athens, TX @ Church of Nazarene ****
Jun 1 Dallas, TX @ Sons of Herman Hall ****
Jun 2 Oklahoma City, OK @ Frontline Church ****

* With WOLVES AT THE GATES
** With FALLSTAR
*** With LIONS! TIGERS! BEARS!
**** With SET THE SUN


Additional Upcoming Dates:
May 4 Stony Point, NC @ Redeemer's House
May 5 Raleigh, NC @ Raleighpalooza!!!
Jun 15 Stone Mountain, GA @ ATLANTA FEST
Jun 22 Wilmore, KY @ ICTHUS FESTIVAL
Jun 23 Mineral City, OH @ Alive Festival
Jul 11 Oshkosh, WI @ Lifest
Aug 2 Gilford, NH @ Soulfest
Aug 7 Darien Center, NY @ Kingdombound Festival
Aug 11 Muskegon, MI @ Unity Music Festival
Sep 15 Shippensburg, PA@ Uprise Music Festival

With the release of their brand new EP We Are The Ones now here, Jeremy Steckel, of post-hardcore band Wolves at the Gate, was willing to answer some questions for CRR.

Christian Rock Rocks (Brooks Ginnan): Can you start off by introducing yourself and what you play in Wolves at the Gate?
Jeremy Steckel (Wolves at the Gate): My name is Jeremy Steckel and I play lead guitar.

CRR: The band is set to release a new EP at the end of January. Can you give details about that?
Jeremy: Yes! We're so excited to release our new EP We Are The Ones. It's officially available today, January 31st, and you can pick it up on AmazonMP3 or iTunes, or a physical copy at our Big Cartel page (www.wolvesatthegate.bigcartel.com). There are six tracks on the EP, five full songs and an intro track. We recorded the album in the summer of 2010, so we've been sitting on these songs for quite some time now!

CRR: The EP's first single, "Heralds," is an interesting track. What is the meaning behind the song?
Jeremy: "Heralds" means a lot to us guys in the band; basically, the song is talking about the journey we've been through so far as WATG. Colin's screaming parts are God's words to us, and Steve's singing parts are our response to God's call in our life. We believe that there is so much more than this world has to offer; God's will and direction in our life needs to trump anything we strive after. My favorite line in the song is "How we live and fight is who we are"; we as people are defined by what we believe in, and if that belief is anything other than the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it's simply a dead end.

CRR: How long have you all been playing music together?
Jeremy: We started WATG back in April of 2008, so it's almost been three years. Wow! Can't believe it's been that long. It's been quite a journey. Steve (guitar/vox) and our original drummer Ryan Connelly started jamming a few songs out, and realized they wanted to form some kind of band, so they hit up Ben Summers (bass) and myself to start something with them. Our first "real" show was at Steve's house, and Colin (screaming vocals) came up to us after the show and asked to join the band. After the first practice, we were pretty much sold on the idea, and here we are today!

CRR: Starting off and currently, who are some of your biggest influences?
Jeremy: Absolutely the first band that comes to mind is Thrice. We're all huge Thrice fans; they've shaped and influenced us as musicians since day one. As Cities Burn (RIP) are also one of our collective favorites. Honestly, between the four guys in the band, we listen to just about every genre of music you can think of!

CRR: Being a band from Ohio, how do you deal with playing shows in the winter, with all the bad weather?
Jeremy: Haha, great question! It can be a little rough sometimes, snow definitely isn't a traveler's friend. We've been blessed to not have any major accidents or anything so far, let's hope that continues! Because we all have jobs right now, we haven't toured extensively (yet), so shows have generally been in or around Ohio, which have kept the miles down to a minimum so far.

CRR: What one thing do you hope that listeners will pick up from your lyrics?
Jeremy: The one thing we want people to take away from WATG is the fact that God is real, He has a purpose and plan for your life, and He desperately desires a relationship with you. Our lives have been changed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we simply can't keep that to ourselves. We're compelled to tell people about Jesus, and our lyrics strive to reflect that. We're very excited to soon release a digital booklet of all the lyrics from We Are The Ones; we give an explanation of each song and what they mean. The core of our band revolves around the message of the beautiful death and resurrection of Jesus Christ almost 2,000 years ago, and how that's still incredibly relevant and life-changing in our culture today.

CRR: Do you see WATG as a band or a ministry?
Jeremy: Can I say both? Haha, I guess that's a weak answer. Truth is, we're a band in ministry. Our tool is music, and we're passionate about it. We have a purpose to this band, and it's not to "define" the new sound of rock and roll or have the heaviest breakdowns possible... plenty of other bands pretty much have that locked down! We obviously love heavy music; it's passionate and raw and we love it! Ultimately though, at the end of the day, if we're doing this for ourselves, we're going to fail. I don't say that as a shock value statement; it's simply the truth. Our calling is to spread the wonderful, incredible, good news of Jesus to everyone we come in contact with, regardless of how it's accepted or how people treat us. It honestly takes the pressure off of us as band members to know that there's a higher purpose in this band, and it's not something we can build or tear down ourselves.

CRR: What albums are you currently into right now?
Jeremy: Haha, that's tough. I listen to so many different genres. As far as heavy music goes, it's tough to beat the new Norma Jean record. Also, the band Periphery is pretty amazing, just started listening to those guys. Ridiculous musicians! I really enjoy the most recent Temper Trap album Conditions... those guys blow my mind. As far as chill music goes, The Tallest Man On Earth and Bon Iver are always at the top of my list. Those guys are writing music that will outlast our generation. So good.

CRR: Any last things you would like to let our readers know?
Jeremy: Check out the new EP We Are The Ones on AmazonMP3 and iTunes, and come hang out with us at a show in the future! Thanks to Brooks for setting us up with this interview!