The truth is that choosing to do anything artistic takes someone with a strong will. After all, the path less traveled is bound to be full of highs, lows, naysayers, and unexpected twists and turns. A factor that breaks many who give it up for something less heartbreak, Sick Puppies is a band that never says die.
Begun by Singer/Guitarist Shim Moore and Bassist Emma Anzai back in 1997 while they were still in high school, the two had a common love for music with a desire to try and create something of their own. A partnership that helped Sick Puppies grow, by 2001, they were getting some traction with their debut album Welcome to the Real World. Then, in 2003, they made the big move of leaving their homeland of Australia for Los Angeles with hopes of getting more attention.
Certainly a risk, a few years later, in 2007, they put out their second album, Dressed Up As Life, which found them entering the charts for the first time ever. It was a great reward for a band that was working very hard; then, 2009’s Tri-Polar found even grander success and made Sick Puppies one of the fastest-rising Hard Rock bands around. From here, they put out Connect in 2013, and while the album saw them experimenting more with their sound, it debuted at No. 17 on the US Billboard 200. Their biggest mainstream release to date; unfortunately, the momentum was stalled a year later with a split between Sick Puppies and Shim Moore.
Leaving Sick Puppies on the fringe of collapse, Anzai was unwilling to give up that easily, and the band returned in 2016 with new Vocalist Bryan Scott. Immediately after, the band put out a new album called Fury, which was far heavier than Connect. A rejuvenation, Sick Puppies, appeared determined to make the new configuration work, and it worked out pretty well since the record also found itself in respective positions on charts.
A positive bounce back after what was perceived by outsiders as a messy break-up between Moore and Sick Puppies, the band opted to navigate through everything privately, which is extremely respectable in today’s social media driven world where everyone airs their dirty laundry publically. Nonetheless, with the release of Fury, it seemed there was a smoother road ahead, but then many more challenges emerged, such as the pandemic, which seized live music performances. There was a lot to overcome for Sick Puppies, who had taken a lot of heavy blows to the gut. So, this time, they were knocked out, right? Think again because nearly a decade since any new Sick Puppies albums have been released, they return with Wave the Bull.
Set for release on March 28, 2025, through ONErpm, Wave the Bull marks the band’s fifth studio album and second overall with a returning Bryan Scott. As mentioned, coming many years after Fury, it is easy to imagine that some figured Sick Puppies had broken up, especially when Emma Anazi joined up with Evanescence as their full-time bassist in May 2022. Well, hope was still alive because, to the surprise of many, Sick Puppies put out an extremely heavy cover of Paul Oakenfold’s “Ready Steady Go” in the fall of 2022.
Jumping forward, then in the latter part of 2024, some new songs began to emerge, with “There Goes The Neighborhood” before “Going Places” and “Creature.” Creating a bit of a buzz, shortly after came the announcement of Wave The Bull, another pre-released song called “Friends Like You,” before the most recent single, “Find A Way,” leading us to where we are today.
A lot to recap: if it feels like this return from Sick Puppies was highly improbable, you are not alone. With Emma Anazi still leading the band as a trio with long-time Drummer Mark Goodwin and Scott on vocals, Wave The Bull is the clean slate they have been yearning for. With that in mind, the feeling and meaning behind Wave The Bull is about overcoming adversities. A concept record in this regard, it is broken into three color codes – The Omen – (Chapter 1: Black), The Fight – (Chapter 2: Red), and The Aftermath – (Chapter 3: White).
Coupling three songs into each of these sections, you get an array of emotions that range from frustration to anger and sorrow. It is a roller coaster where you follow the band through this cathartic release as they work out everything internally and figure out the best way to navigate it all. However, the boldest takeaway from Wave The Bull’s lesson is how to avoid feeling defeated and not let being burned by the fire make you afraid to start again.
Overall, Wave The Bull finds Sick Puppies channeling decades of experiences into one well-crafted collection of songs. Yes, the music is quite aggressive at points (such as with “There Goes The Neighborhood,” “Hurricane,” “Friends Like You,” and “Creature”), but there are also some really lovely melodic moments (as heard on tracks like “Fix Me” and “Find A Way” which find Scott and Anazi sharing vocals). This dynamic makes for a very enjoyable listen, and the overflow of everything being let go by the band does not hamper the songwriting.
Altogether, this is an extremely impressive return from Sick Puppies, who sound like they are ready to take on the Hard Rock world once more. That is why Cryptic Rock gives Wave The Bull 5 out of 5 stars.
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