Biography
There are at least two artists using the Red Wolf name. 1) a Swedish metal band. 2) an American-Cuban rapper based in Ireland.
1)
It all started in Spring 2020, during the COVID – 19 lockdown, when Euge Valovirta (Cyhra) had received compliments & questions about the songs he had used on his YouTube – channel’s videos which were just 1-2 minute clips of cool riffs basically written for a particular video about a certain amp, effect pedal etc.
Around the same time Adde Larsson, with whom Euge had played several Cyhra shows since he had filled in for Alex Landenburg, called Euge that he really likes Euge’s solo album ‘Easy Does It’ and if he ever plans to record another he’d like to be the drummer on that.
Since all of their main band’s tours were cancelled ‘cos of the COVID-19, they had plenty of time so they decided that Euge will complete the aforementioned clips into full songs at his home studio in Helsinki, Finland and Adde will then record drums on them in his hometown Gothenburg, Sweden.
When the demos of the songs were finished Euge decided that the songs require vocals and someone to finish the writing process with him and the first guy he thought who’d be perfect for the job was Samy Elbanna (Lost Society) and Samy replied immediately, without hearing a single song, that he is in.
In the next couple of weeks the two bounced vocal ideas while Adde was recording the drums and before they knew they had 10 songs full of pounding drums, killer riffs & catchy vocals ranging from clean singing to aggressive growl.
Around the same time Euge thought that he wants his old bandmate from Suburban Tribe Janne Joutsenniemi (Stone, Suburban Tribe) to play bass on the songs and Janne also replied immediately that he is in. Janne also growls on ‘The Point of No Return’ which he hasn’t done since Stone’s last album Emotional Playground (1991).
After the drums were done Euge, Samy & Janne recorded their parts at their home studios and by early July the recordings were finished, without the guys meeting once during this time, and the mixing started at IYP studios in Gothenburg, Sweden by Matthias Törngren.
Euge Valovirta:“All of this happened very naturally & effortlessly and this has been the easiest album writing & recording process that I’ve ever been a part of and I’m really happy how everything turned out. I think that you can hear it on the album as well; four guys playing kick-ass metal and having a ton of fun doing so. And I’m very glad & thankful that the guys wanted to be part of this and that they gave their best for this project”.
Samy Elbanna: ”As a person who always has enjoyed creating and doing as much as possible, this was an absolute dream to be a part of! This has been without a doubt one of the funniest and most organic projects I’ve ever had the honor to participate! Great songs and a great group of guys, what could be better?!”
Janne Joutsenniemi: “I haven’t played or singed for a while so this was a nice change for me to rock out with the guys, even from a distance since everybody played their parts on their own for obvious reasons. I haven’t even met or talked with Adde but it was really fun to play the bass on top of his drums and my playing fitted naturally to his playing.
I can hear hear the fresh and enthusiastic touch in everyone’s playing and everything was done in the spur of moment since we had no time or need to analyze and rehearse things any further. It was straight forward full speed ahead, trusting your own intuition and that’s what music is all about”.
Adde Larsson: “Having been working together with Euge as a stand in drummer for Alex Landenburg in Cyhra for about 2 years and with a bunch of shows and tours under the belt together, me and Euge have really hit it off and he has become a very good and dear friend of mine.
When this opportunity rose to do this project together there was absolutely nothing that would stop me in my tracks to take the change and join! To also be playing with Samy and Janne in the same band was a massive extra privilege and a surprise to say, especially knowing what they have achieved in their individual careers!
It makes me very humble and excited to be a part of this machine and it’s just simply awesome and honouring to be a part of this all”.
Euge Valovirta (Cyhra, Godsplague) – guitar
Samy Elbanna (Lost Society) – vocals & guitar
Janne Joutsenniemi (Stone, Suburban Tribe) – bass & vocals
Adde Larsson - drums
2)
On his debut full length release, Aquarium, Red Wolf dissects life during his disappearance and the search for Atlantis. In the real world, Florida born rapper Solan Patrick was living a parallel life, where his disappearance took the form of a three year break from his music career. Solan put music to one side while he battled loss, heartbreak, depression and the pressures of being an artist, all in the midst of a global pandemic. This album was pieced together throughout these times, and documents these struggles, while acting as a time capsule for his hiatus.
Following a slew of viral videos as a young rapper, Red Wolf channelled the immense pressure of releasing a full project into this album, and resulted in a cinematic and conceptual hip-hop record, produced and written entirely by Red Wolf, with features including Asa Jake, Cryptive and Tlowe. Spanning multiple genres, the songs on this album are as much of an emotional rollercoaster as the story they encapsulate.
On the intense lead single “Bermuda”, Red Wolf details his hiatus, and the mental anguish and turmoil he suffered. Over rattling hi-hats and crushing 808s, he breaks down his diminishing mental health, and his tendency to push friends away and isolate himself.
The R&B influenced “Neptune” is about heartbreak, and is Red Wolf’s way of breaking down the toxic atmosphere of his longest relationship. Over smooth keys and a grooving rhythm section, he lays down lush vocal harmonies and verses with sleek delivery, unfolding the story of how his relationship fell apart during the pandemic, while dealing with themes of escapism, relationship issues and love. (“Neptune is a place used for escapism, physically we were there together but our souls were on Neptune” Red Wolf says)
Penultimate on the tracklist is “Atlantis”, which feels like a sigh of relief, reaching the climax of the album and helping to wrap up the narrative. Red Wolf delivers one of his best arrangements on this track, with lavish jazz harmony, a driving beat and an impassioned delivery.
Elsewhere on the album, Red Wolf topics like societal hierarchy on the dark and moody “GUPPY” (featuring Holmes) and hard hitting, boom bap inspired “GUPPY II” (featuring Asa Jake, Huaru and Cryptive, known collectively as The Golden Fleece), mental health on the uplifting and catchy “PAINITE” and atmospheric cut “Deep End”. Wolf sends a message to critics on the memphis, phonk inspired “Starfish” (featuring Cyptive).
With diverse & creative production, next level penmanship and mature songwriting, Red Wolf aims to set himself apart with Aquarium, and does so with flying colours by delivering a cinematic and encapsulating listening experience with captivating performances, well implemented features and a dense tracklist that lets the listener piece together the story of Red Wolf.
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