Whilst the term ‘super-group’ is often met with rolling eyes and a resigned sigh, in truth, there have been several that have surpassed the most-hardened music cynic’s expectations (Fantômas, Nailbomb, Down, Killer Be Killed and Soen to name but a few). Hesitation Wounds are the latest to alter the perception that super-groups are mere vanity projects. Their debut album, Awake For Everything, is released on 27th May via 6131 Records and is available to stream exclusively with The Independent below.

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Hesitation Wounds consists of Jeremy Bolm (Touchè Amorè, vocals), Jay Weinberg (Slipknot, drums), Neeraj Kane (The Hope Conspiracy, guitar), and Stephen ‘Scuba’ LaCour (True Cross, ex-Trap Them, bass). They formed back in May 2012 when Bolm suggested they get together and write as many songs as they could in one day. Writing on a Sunday and recording on the Monday, the four musicians wrote three songs and an intro track, which became their debut self-titled EP.

Reconvening a few years later, the band took a similar approach for their debut album, indulging themselves by writing the record’s 11 tracks in a leisurely three days. Mixed by Kurt Ballou of Converge (a sure sign of quality) and mastered by Brad Boatright of From Ashes Rise, the album is a brutal distillation of the savage elements that make up the band member’s day jobs. Showcasing several different shades of heavy, from abrasive, punk-y, blast-beats to slow, doom-laden atmospherics, Awake For Everything is a ferocious statement of intent that dispels the myth that super-groups are less than the sum of their parts.

(Reid Haitchcock (Reid Haitchcock)

Vocalist Jeremy Bolm provided us with an exclusive track-by-track rundown of the record…

Operatic

Operatic is the first song we wrote for this album, so it felt fitting to make it track one. Like the new chapter in the band all together. Much had changed in our lives from the 7” EP to this album, so when I hear this song, it sounds like cutting the ribbon to a new location. When preparing for writing this album, Neeraj and I had been waxing about how incredible the band Deadguy was and joked about writing a Deadguy rip off album. We ended up only writing two songs that sound Deadguy-ish and this is one them. Lyrically the song expresses frustration with the witch mob mentality brought on by the quick to judge society we now reside in.

Bleach

I have a soft spot for songs that reference other songs. It’s a tip of the hat to those who get the references (The Replacements, Leonard Cohen, Jawbreaker, and more) and an exciting challenge to those who want to learn. To me this song is a ripping reminder that music is what makes our world turn and most everything else is a waste of time.

Hands Up

Inspired by the rapper P.O.S.’s song Paul Kersey to Jack Kimball with the line…

We don’t throw our hands up like we don’t care anymore

We throw our hands up like we don’t care anymore

I love that kind of sharp play on phrasing. The song is a heavy double-bass infused anger output, targeted at the gun violence in America. Half of it looks at the different ways that race comes into the conversation and the other half is about the way congress excuses everything and does nothing to help.

New Abuse

Admittedly a very Deftones inspired song, a band that we can all get behind sonically. We didn’t set out to write this with them in mind, but I think Jay’s drum beat behind Neeraj’s main riff took it there. This is by far one of my favorite tracks on the album. I wrote this about a girl I know who fights with addiction and about the people she surrounds herself with.

All We Know

A song built around blast beats and a Slayer breakdown at the end. Our attempt at Napalm Death maybe. Lyrically a ‘smash your TV’ style anthem. How society worships an unattainable lifestyle designed for assholes by assholes.

Ends Pt. I

This is the other song heavily influenced by Deadguy. It has a bit of Botch in there too. The words are framed around the idea of what we’ve become as a nation…

An uphill battle to debt to search out all that is left

With a broken moral compass leads right to the end

We accept that what is considered the path to success will likely leave you broken.

Guthrie

I titled the song ‘Guthrie’ to pay tribute to Woody and how the American culture can overlook the message of a song if it has a patriotic chorus. Woody Guthrie’s song This Land Is Your Land originally featured the verse…

There was a big high wall there that tried to stop me

The sign was painted, said ‘Private Property’

But on the backside, it didn’t say nothing

This land was made for you and me

That concept inspired me to put my disappointment into words. We are considered the home of the brave, but when the right-wing pushes a fear of immigrants/refugees/Muslims onto its people, that hardly feels brave. Everyone should have the right to cross imaginary lines to raise a family safely in this country.

Away

A band that all four of us can mutually agree on is Cursed. We loved that band with a passion. They had a way of bringing a record that is full on relentless but then dropping it to what felt like the bowels of hell with a slow heavy almost creepy song, which they did unexpectedly every time. I think that’s what we were trying to accomplish with Away. I was inspired to write a song that hung on the phrase ‘but you willed it away’. I shaped everything around that strange saying.

Teeth

This song musically has me the most excited as a fan of Neeraj’s other bands. I think this song really shows off his background with The Hope Conspiracy and Suicide File. Whenever he comes up with a riff reminiscent of that stuff, it gets my fan juices flowing as I know I get to sing over it. Neeraj also sings the backups on this song and it’s the first time he’s raised his voice to yell like that so it was incredible to witness. He killed it.

Ends Pt. II

I suppose you can call this the title track in a way as it repeats the phrase…

When you’re dragged from the edges

You go through some phases

And you’re awake for everything

But the result is still the same

The thing is, naming the album Awake for Everything holds a different meaning to me than this song does. The title represents NOT burying your head in the sand. Paying attention to what’s happening around you. Not getting misguided or distracted by the bulls**t the media serves you but doing your best to stay focused and remember. In this song however, I sing it with the idea that we all go through life’s challenges and as long as you can find the courage to wake up every day, you’ll know you’re a step ahead of your struggles.

Streamlined

We wrote this song the day we played our first show a couple of years ago. I made up lyrics on the spot every night…. I listened back to those recordings while writing this album and pieced together what I said and formed the words to this song. I don’t know what they mean necessarily, but it’s what my brain told me to say… I think there’s something cool about that… or maybe I was just lazy...