As the 20th century wound down, Hippie Werewolves heated up, rocking Denver with a killer combination of power and purpose. The group’s wicked grooves and visceral riffology — a variation on rap-metal that transcended the polarizing sub-genre — underpinned words that targeted injustices of every stripe.
In the years since then, the band occasionally resurfaced. But today, the Werewolves are back with a vengeance thanks to the appropriately named “Lotus Ferocious,” their first album in more than three decades.
“Ride or Die,” the opening salvo of “Lotus Ferocious,” traces the Werewolves’ evolution. “A lot of us started in the late ’80s,” says lead vocalist Haylar Garcia. “It was hair-band stuff, fairly superficial. … But in the ’90s, things were changing. We felt music could be a weapon against the bad things in the world.”…