Photo by Darcy McGrath
Reignwolf’s unique sound can’t be defined so easily. The vocals are sometimes full of the grunge grit, while at other times, the sing-a-long howls of a modern rock song. Heck, you’ll even come across the screams found in hardcore punk bands and the crooning of blues singers. Instrumentally, you’re dealing with the intense riffs of Black Sabbath coupled with the guitar melodies of Stevie Ray Vaughan. A Reignwolf song can have a slow tempo with an emphasis on atmosphere, a fast tempo where rocking out is the main priority, or something in between.
A Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native, Jordan Cook is the sole member of Reignwolf. At live shows, he can be seen playing the guitar and drums at once or enlisting the help of a bassist and drummer while he handles vocal and guitar duties.
Cook has only released a handful of singles so far and no albums, but it’s enough to earn him hordes of ravenous fans, who eagerly track him down on stage for more. Happily, Reignwolf will play the Voodoo Festival in New Orleans at the end of October, with more dates to follow—fingers crossed.
Take your first steps into Reignwolf with this five-track starter kit:
Hardcore
An industrial fuzz tone from Cook’s guitar leaps this song into action and continues throughout. From the first verse, the slow beat created by the instruments mixed with Cook’s crooning voice immediately brings a dark, gloomy tone, as do lyrics like “Your brother said he locked you in the bedroom / Your sister said she’d throw away the key.” The minimalism in the instruments coupled with the low volume of Cook’s voice further adds to this tone. Forgoing his signature howls, Cook lets the eerie atmosphere carry the listener through the song. The result is a mixture between a blues single filled with the catchiness of a Nine Inch Nails song.
Are You Satisfied?
From early into the song, Cook provides gritty howls over a slow but heavy blues riff. That dirty riff is full of vibrato and continues to accompany Cook’s vocals for the first minute of the song. Soon it explodes into a catchy grunge melody at 1:05 and is joined by drums and bass. To escalate that, Cook unleashes a fast solo full of shredding and tapping that combines the soulful vibe of a Hendrix song with the intensity of Black Sabbath and serves as an example of how Cook blends the blues with rock.
In the Dark
Cook is known for incorporating elements of blues and rock in his music, but this song definitely leans towards the latter, and rendered with maximum ferocity and agony. “My love / Left me with a broken heart / Our love, my love,” Cook yells broken-hearted throughout until reaching a virtual scream at 3:19, setting off a fiery guitar solo.
Lonely Sunday
One of Cook’s most straightforward songs, with a standard verse-chorus-verse structure that makes it easy to follow, this tune displays the melodic side of his voice. But that’s just until the sing-along chorus, when Cook growls out, “Wait! You've got it on the heart, / You can't stay.” His vocals during the chorus are reminiscent of modern post-grunge bands like Seether and Alter Bridge with the power to match. With the combination of melody and an infectious chorus, it’s safe to say that this song would catch the attention of many on a rock radio station.
Electric Love
There’s lots of diversity on this track. It begins with a chunky, yet catchy guitar riff before slowing down for Cook’s lyrics. His croons intertwine with his howls for a few lines before the guitar riffs return. The smooth guitar melodies when Cook sings and relentless shredding when he doesn’t, strike a great balance. Live it’s even more impressive, with Cook playing guitar with one hand and drumming with the other.
