I came across the band Bad Wolves when I was trying to introduce my kids to the Cranberries’ song Zombie. I was looking it up on YouTube when I found their version. It gave me goosebumps! That’s when I looked them up, realized they really share a heart for activism as well and became a fan. As successful as they have been, they are relatively unknown in a lot of sectors and so, I’m including them in my Untapped Music listing for now.
They are a bunch of rockers from different bands that started their professional careers around the late 90s and early 2000s and came together to find success with Bad Wolves in 2017. The band consists of vocalist Tommy Vext (or Thomas Cummings, the ex-lead singer of Divine Heresy – left in January of 2021), drummer John Boecklin (formerly of Devil Driver), guitarist Doc Coyle (from Vagus Nerve, ex-God Forbid), guitarist Chris Cain (Bury Your Dead) and bassist Kyle Konkiel (formerly of Scar the Martyr and In This Moment).
Tommy Vext has recently gone solo. You can see his heartfelt announcement here. I truly hope that the band gets a great singer in his place and also that Tommy has an amazing solo career.
Table of Contents
HISTORY
Bad Wolves released their debut album, Disobey (May 2018), via Better Noise Music, which is one of the world’s leading independent music companies – they also handle video production and films. Disobey reached #22 on the Billboard Top 200, #2 on the Hard Rock Chart, #4 on Rock, and #8 on the Top Current Albums Chart.
Their global breakout single, “Zombie,” is certified Platinum in the U.S. and Sweden, double Platinum in Canada, Gold in Australia, and IMPALA Diamond in Europe.
The track has topped charts worldwide. The official music video for “Zombie,” a tribute to the late singer Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries and an homage to the original, has garnered over 255 million views across platforms. On June 19th, 2018, Bad Wolves presented a $250,000 check to Dolores O’Riordan’s four children, with a continued promise to donate all of their royalties from the song to them.
The album yielded the follow-up tracks “Hear Me Now,” featuring Diamante, and the soaring ballad “Remember When,” which both reached #1 at Active Rock Radio.
In 2019, they continued that momentum with their sophomore album, N.A.T.I.O.N. which came in at #1 upon its release on the Top Hard Rock, Current Hard Rock, and Billboard Hard Rock charts. One of their most successful tracks from this album was “Killing Me Slowly”. The video is a heartfelt commentary on the relationships between men and women.
They followed that success up closely with “Sober”, which became the lead track from the soundtrack to Better Noise Films’ feature film Sno Babies. The video, featuring footage from the film, portrays the devastating impact of addiction on families and relationships and reinforces that recovery is possible for those who can stay the course.
“This song was a unique opportunity to talk about addiction not only from the perspective of the addict but also from the perspective of their loved ones,” says lead singer Tommy Vext. “The message is very different from traditional songs that seem to always perpetuate a mentality of self-victimization which is exactly the kind of misguided thinking that perpetuates the mental obsessive side of alcoholism and addiction.
In the end, the moral of the story is about holding on to not giving up on ourselves or the people who are trying – who are really, really trying to make and better themselves.”
More recently, Bad Wolves released the song “Learn To Walk Again!” (there is an official video with scenes from the movie, but I actually prefer the acoustic version) featured on the soundtrack for the motion picture ‘The Retaliators’ which is scheduled for release in 2021.
COLLABORATIONS & CONNECTIONS
They are managed by Zoltan Bathory of Five Finger Death Punch. Their label is Better Noise Music, which is the rebranded rock and rock alternative company 10th Street Entertainment.
They handle acts such as Papa Roach, Five Finger Death Punch, Awolnation, Diamante, Motley Crue, The Hu, and more. Since their inception, the band has shared the stage with the likes of Five Finger Death Punch, Nickelback, Shinedown, Breaking Benjamin, Papa Roach, and Nothing More. They have also collaborated with fellow hard rocker Diamante.
DISCOGRAPHY
- Disobey (2018)
- N.A.T.I.O.N. (2019)
Also in 2021, these rockers plan on touring with well-established bands Disturbed and Staind for Disturbed’s 20th Anniversary Tour – THE SICKNESS. Because of the recent exit of lead singer, Tommy Vext, we don’t know what to expect of this band, but I’m hoping that they are dynamic and talented enough to choose the correct replacement and continue on their climb.
As of late 2021, they have released a new single – “Lifeline”
FIND OUT MORE
WEBSITE: https://badwolvesnation.com/
MUSIC LINKS: https://badwolves.ffm.to/nation
FIND OUT MORE: TOMMY VEXT
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/tommyvext/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/tommy.vext
As always, if you want to share more, or feel I’ve missed something, let me know by emailing untappedsoundnc@gmail.com.
SOURCES: This was mostly found on Wikipedia.org and the band’s social media and YouTube posts.
