Bad Wolves, a Los Angeles heavy metal group boasting deep roots in hard rock, fuse melody and aggression in a style that calls to mind Meshuggah, Mudvayne, and Sevendust. Mainstream notice arrived in 2018 via their successful rendition of the Cranberries’ “Zombie,” which helped secure multiple number-one positions on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart. After the 2019 album N.A.T.I.O.N., founding singer Tommy Vext departed; Daniel “DL” Laskiewicz of the Acacia Strain stepped in and performed on the subsequent releases Dear Monsters (2021) and Die About It (2023).
John Boecklin, formerly a co-founder of DevilDriver, assembled the band in 2014 on drums and guitars, rounding out the lineup with Doc Coyle on guitar, Chris Cain on guitar, Kyle Konkiel on bass, and Tommy Vext, previously of Snot and Westfield Massacre. The musicians tracked their first album at Audio Hammer Studios in 2016 alongside producer Mark Lewis, known for work with Trivium and All That Remains. Eleven Seven issued Disobey in 2018; the record debuted at number 23 on the Billboard 200 and reached number three on the rock albums chart. Bad Wolves supported the effort by touring alongside Five Finger Death Punch, Shinedown, and Breaking Benjamin. Their second album, N.A.T.I.O.N., arrived in October 2019 and yielded the chart-topping singles “Killing Me Slowly” and “Sober.”
In early 2021 the group confirmed Vext’s exit and recruited Laskiewicz, whose first recordings with the band appeared on Dear Monsters—the final Bad Wolves album to include guitarist Chris Cain. Cain left the following year, after which Max Karon joined on rhythm guitar in time for the 2022 Sacred Kiss EP. The quartet’s fourth studio album, Die About It, surfaced in 2023; its thirteen tracks juxtaposed crushing riffs and catchy melodies on singles such as “Bad Friend” and “Legends Never Die.”
