Augustwolf - Visual Music
Augustwolf is the alter-identity of music artist Douglas Wolf Reid as well as a powerful Rock music experience. A longtime media veteran, Doug started out making movies at the age of seven, eventually diving into a music career spanning multiple decades. Today we are excited to share our thoughts on Augustwolf’s new album, Visual Music, featuring the musical partnership of Douglas Wolf Reid and Oleh Andrievsky!
Visual Music opens with “Pursuit”, a song with a strong sense of urgency and a lot of power. The guitar work in this track is fast and furious, giving off a fiery overall feel. I would also be remiss if I did not mention how the bass absolutely runs in this song - I love it. You can check out the music video for “Pursuit” here. “The Sorcerer’s Audition” is next and it is also the longest song from the album at four minutes and thirty-five seconds. An emotive piece with a varied soundscape, this one feels like a hard-rocking take on a Classical composition with multiple movements and I feel like this is song is a real music lover’s treat. “Jimmy Jam” is third and, though still guitar-driven, has a different feel to it than the first two songs. I thoroughly enjoy the 70’s Rock vibes this song provides and it transported me back to when I was a child, listening to my dad’s old records.
The fourth song from Visual Music is “Cirque Show”, an enthralling and anthemic song that, for me, is a masterclass that showcases the overall writing style used on this album. Doug refers to the songs on this album as “mini movies” and nowhere is that philosophy apparent than with this one and its climactic vibes that feel like they were ripped straight from a blockbuster film. “On Douglas Pond” is next and this one is my personal favorite from this album. A touching, reflective and warm feeling song, I am absolutely moved every time I listen to it. It is amazing. Up next is “Urban Dossier 8f” which recaptures the urgency of “Pursuit” from earlier, albeit in a more diverse and brilliantly textured package. It also feels a bit more frantic to me, in a way that gets your heart racing. “La La Chillax” is seventh and it provides the relaxing energy its name would suggest. If you are looking to feel refreshed and renewed, just give this song a spin!
“Soften the Hammer” is the eighth song from Visual Music and it has a certain deepness in its soundscape that I find hard to describe, despite its pleasant and easy to enjoy nature. One of my favorite touches is the hammering sound featured within the song’s percussion, giving the song a feel worthy of its title. The short and sweet “Blockster” is next and it is absolutely brimming with energy throughout its fifty-seven second runtime. If you are sitting, I promise this track will make you want to get up and move! The reflective “Here I Stand” is the penultimate song from the album and its soundscape is quite stirring. The way in which the guitar and violin trade off in this song is deeply enjoyable and both instruments carry the song equally. “Ukraine Peace and War” closes out the album on a solemn, grounded and even tragic note - as this song gives us a glimpse into what Oleh is currently experiencing in his day to day life. My biggest takeaway from the song is a feeling of triumph, though, as Oleh is still standing, still contributing to such meaningful music.
Visual Music, as a complete body of work, came to be by accident; Doug was hiring musicians online for fun and ended up meeting Oleh just before the Russian invasion and the two proceeded to collaborate for about a year, with Doug eventually realizing that the material they created was, in fact, working towards an album. Despite the absolutely unspeakable situation Oleh is in, these two artists have come together and created an album that is meaningful and that I believe will stand the test of time with its eleven vivid “mini movies”. We have the entirety of Visual Music embedded below via Spotify and you can find it on your favorite streaming service by clicking here! We hope you enjoy!
