Cry Wolf feels to me like a supergroup of acts I have reviewed over the past few years. And the sound of this single, Player One, certainly lives up to the term supergroup.

Kevin Ashby, Josh Dillner, Nick Raven, James Porteous. A roll call of names from a list if heavyweight bands of recent times, they got together in 2025 and I am one happy chap that this has happened.

Due for general release on 20th February, Player One is a slot of professional musicianship paired with clued-in studio work that knows when to add, when not to add, when to turn the sound up, and what to balance. It easily straddles what we could term alt-metal with heavy rock, and while blisteringly heavy and in-your-face, the band manages through its composition and orchestration to deliver a commercial edge that’s undoubtedly going to see The Rock and other allied channels giving it a really good airing.

If I say to you Linkin’ Park, I’m not referring to Chester‘s (bless ‘im) guttural yet hysteria-laden screams, nor Mike S and his more Bloodhound Gang-style timbre. I refer to the perfect execution of raw metal seguing straight into a hard rock verse complete with commercial edge to the melody and a vocal straight out of the Rock Gods Almanac. The visceral roaring of the choral segments are something you can feel as much as hear – and the contrast with the verses works gloriously. That is where I find the Linkin’ Park comparison.

Lyrically it’s a cool concept. From the EPK:

“Player One” dives headfirst into Simulation Theory – the idea that our reality is nothing more than a constructed program designed by a higher intelligence. The track questions identity, purpose, and control in a world that may not be real at all.

Studio-wise, my mate Zorran Mendonsa is the chap with his hand in the biscuit tin of responsibility. Excellent work, and in no small part to be thanked for the success of such a bold track. Hardly surprising considering Zorran‘s resumé to date, but these things warrant a strong mention. Vocals that soar and growl, a thumping bottom end with bass and drums in deep control of their lives. Guitars with sonics, beef, and some great parts.

This is going to be a radio hit, and if there’s a vid by the time of release we’ll see it on the telly too. Well executed parts by the band, desk jockeyed to a high degree of polish – yet still raw and hair-raising, this is a very good track indeed for Cry Wolf to hit 2026 with.

Don’t cry wolf – CRY WOLF!