The future of bands distributing demos by any means necessary is still a good way to get your name out there, and this six-song demo is among the best thing I have heard this year. It rivals everything all that the known labels have put out. There have been disappointments in recent releases from staple hardcore acts, while bands like Powerwolves somehow end up ignored by labels. I guess people are listening to the wrong things and are hoping to put their money on a brand-name group that will by curiosity alone brings in all the numbers it needs. With the tools available to most d.i.y. acts, Powerwolves released an album that if we were to talk music, energy, and riffage, would top the HC charts. We now know though that this is not a game of good vs. bad, but instead a game of known vs. unknown. Whether it's sleek packaging, the secrecy of a song's release, or fear of an album leaking, these are obviously all games to create hype. I guess with the current the state of the music industry, labels need to create hype more than anything. A great band like Powerwolves comes along and gives away their gold for free, while record companies continue needing to find ways to trick people into buying their stuff. We're talking smaller bands begging for you to download their EPs and records, playing tug-o-war with labels of all sizes doing the exact opposite. The battle of the underground is on and it's getting interesting with bands like these who are putting out stuff that doesn't cost anything to the listener, and is more in-tune with that this scene stands for. A free flow of art and expression. This album and the state of the music scene is about turning it inside out and doing something new. Imagine if we removed the control that some labels in the underground scene exert on small bands, broke those chains, and did away with the middlemen that trace their business model from major label blueprints? All great bands start like this, and eventually, sadly enough, most fall in the trap. Let's hope Powerwolves succeed in steering clear of such pitfalls.