Sitting in the back of a dimly lit venue, the smell of stale beer and ozone hanging in the air, you can feel the weight of expectation pressing down on Bad Wolves. It is a heavy crown to wear. This is a band that did not just arrive; they detonated in 2018 with a cover of The Cranberries’ "Zombie" that was as lucrative as it was haunting. But the narrative was stained by the tragic death of Dolores O’Riordan the night before she was set to track vocals. It was a baptism by fire and grief.
And yet, the industry waits for no one. After a sophomore effort in 2019, *N.A.T.I.O.N.*, and a very public, very messy divorce from former frontman Tommy Vext, the band found themselves at a crossroads. Enter Daniel “DL” Laskiewicz. Formerly the riff-architect for The Acacia Strain, DL is not just a replacement. He is a fundamental shift in the band's DNA, bringing a melodic sensibility that feels more like a calculated pivot than a desperate fill-in.
Holding the physical pressing of their third album, *Dear Monsters*, you notice the art is sharp, cold, and professional. It reflects the music inside. The record just dropped alongside a slick video for the single "Lifeline," and I sat down with DL to interrogate where this new iteration of the pack is headed.
"Thank you, sir. Thank you. Appreciate it," DL says, leaning into the conversation with the easy-going confidence of a man who has already survived the heavy metal trenches.
The rollout for *Dear Monsters* has been tactical. We have already seen two tracks hit the wild, but the strategy behind them is more nuanced than a simple radio grab. I put it to him that the singles feel like a deliberate introduction to his vocal range.
"Lifeline was definitely the first intended single, but House Of Cards really isn’t per se, just a single, it was the track that we all agreed that was the next step to showcasing, bridging the gap between the more melodic and the heavy side of the band," DL explains. "It wasn’t an intended single or anything, but it was just the second reveal. But both songs are doing better than expected, I believe."
There is a noticeable shift in the sonic architecture here. It is less about the blunt-force trauma of the previous era and more about the texture of the hooks. It feels more melodic, a direction that seems to stem directly from DL’s own creative well.
"Yes. I think stylistically what I bring to the table and everything and just with the vocal change, singer change, it was just something that the band really wanted to touch upon and maybe even just really utilize the new style that I bring to the table and try some new things that haven’t really been tried in the past," he says. "We definitely got to stretch our legs a little bit in those terms, especially with songs like Springfield Summer and things like that."
"Springfield Summer" is the curveball of the record. It feels grounded, almost provincial. Knowing DL hails from Springfield, Massachusetts, the track feels like a rare moment of autobiography in a genre that often prefers masks.
"That’s my hometown," he notes. "That was a song that was done after we had finished recording the album. There were some late 9th inning songs, and that was actually one of them that John Boecklin and I had put together remotely. So yeah, that was a late 9th inning song and it just came together organically. It really gave John and I a chance to test our chemistry writing wise, especially remotely."
But the track carries a certain twang. There is a contemporary country undercurrent that might make some purists flinch, though it gives the album a much-needed breath of fresh air. I asked him if the Nashville sound was a secret vice.
"I don’t mind it. That wasn’t done intentionally. There’s really never any intention. We just kind of go with the flow and see what happens. Most importantly we write for ourselves. At the end of the day, we make sure that we’re writing music that we’re fans of. That’s how Springfield Summer came about," DL says. "It started off with an acoustic riff that John had been kicking around forever, that first intro riff. Then, we just took it from there and built a song that we enjoyed."
The album kicks off with "Sacred Kiss," a track that functions like a velvet glove over a brass knuckle. It starts with a mellow hook before it executes a sharp pivot into something much more aggressive. It is the kind of songwriting that relies on the bait-and-switch.
"I don’t think there’s any really secret to great songwriting. Like I said, it’s not really even a secret, just the most important thing to songwriting is writing music that you believe in, that you’re actually a fan of. If you’re a fan of it, then it’s a lot easier for other people to be a fan of it," he explains.
DL is a veteran of the studio, having spent the last eight years behind the console. That perspective changes how a musician views their own output. He admits that his relationship with this material is different from his past projects.
The most important thing to songwriting is writing music that you believe in, that you’re actually a fan of. If you’re a fan of it, then it’s a lot easier for other people to be a fan of it... With this album, I can safely say that I can listen to this stuff still as a fan. I view this album almost as an outsider still. It’s just fun to listen to.
"I’ve even said it in other interviews and stuff, and I’ll just keep reiterating that point that I’ve worked on a lot of records in my career, and this is definitely one of the first ones that months after I’ve heard every song on this album so many times already just working on it and then doing revisions and listening to mixes and stuff," he says.
"Usually, in the past, my experience making a record, you really tend to get tired of the material by the end of it because you’ve heard it so many times and it’s just you’re ready for the next thing. But with this album, I can safely say that I can listen to this stuff still as a fan. I view this album almost as an outsider still. It’s just fun to listen to. As far Sacred Kiss is concerned, that song was from day one of even that song being written, it presented itself as an album opener because it just has this we have arrived kind of sound to it."
That "outsider" perspective is likely a byproduct of his time in production. He has spent years watching masters like Adam Dutkiewicz of Killswitch Engage and Chris "Zeuss" Harris work their magic. It was a self-taught apprenticeship in the dark arts of EQ and arrangement.
"It just slowly became something that I was really interested in. After working with guys like Adam Dutkiewicz from Killswitch Engage in the studio, and then guys like Chris Harris of Zeuss, just seeing those guys work and put all the little steps behind the building of an album, it just fascinated me," DL says.
And he is a proponent of the "get your hands dirty" school of learning. Forget the expensive degrees; DL is about the grind.
"When I first started there wasn’t, now there’s this plethora of YouTube videos and tutorials and lessons. It’s almost amazing, you can just take classes almost on all this stuff. But when I first started, it was more of a small community. If you had a question about EQ moves or those kinds of things we would migrate to forums and just share things. So it was just this cool learning process. I never did any schooling with it or anything, but I don’t believe that that’s the right way to go about getting into it anyway. The more you do it, the more hands on you get, just trial and error kind of stuff."
The creative process for Bad Wolves is a democratic machine, which is a rarity in a band with this much commercial pressure. DL had already dipped his toes in the water during the previous album cycle, but now he is fully submerged.
"A little bit, yeah. Just did some co-write stuff," he says of his earlier involvement. Now, the dynamic is more fluid. "It really depends on the song. Every song tends to be different. Some songs Chris would bring a riff to the table or Doc might even bring a whole arrangement to the table, so really it just depends on the track. But I think moving forward, it’s more important than ever that all of the guys in the band have a voice just because every guy in the band can almost be a producer in their own right. It’s stupid not to utilize that and it’s really nice to have that level of talent in a group where things just flow and it’s pretty easy to write."
There is a lingering question about his role on stage. In The Acacia Strain, he was a three-guitar threat. In Bad Wolves, he is the focal point, unburdened by a strap around his shoulder. But the temptation to shred is always there.
"There’s been little talks here and there, so never say never. If the time comes and it feels right, maybe if it’s an acoustic radio station thing or something like that. I guess dependent on the format. But there’s no intention for it right now," DL admits.
"I’m just really excited to not have a guitar. Just take on the role of the singer and not be tied down by the instrumentals so much. It’s such a new thing and it’s a lot of work going into it anyway that I’m just trying to take it easy and not overwhelm myself at this point, for sure."
But the guitar still plays a role in his writing. He is still the guy who thinks in terms of eight-string riffs and complex arrangements.
"A song like Springfield Summer, once we started tossing the song back and forth I kind of arranged the song in my studio and did the guitars and the choruses," he says. "Even beyond that song, there’s a B side that I’m not sure what we’re going to do with yet, but it’s from the same sessions as Dear Monsters and it has the same mix and everything, so that’s a song that I brought in and I had written front to back on an eight string. I’m sure moving forward from here, there’s going to be plenty of involvement with everybody during the writing process."
The band’s ecosystem extends beyond just the music. Their management, Better Noise, is pivoting hard into the film industry, most notably with the horror-thriller *The Retaliators*. It is a synergy that sees rock stars moonlight as actors, though DL missed the initial red carpet.
"I wasn’t there. but, this was something that they’ve been doing for a while. I think this was a project that’s been going on for a little bit now, so I wasn’t even in the fold yet when all these guys were working with that project," he says. "They’re an L.A. Base band and I’m a Massachusetts guy, so right now I’m on the opposite end of the country doing the fall thing. But I do know that three out of five of us were there. I believe Chris, Doc and Kyle were all there. It looked like a ton of fun. They were partying and just celebrating their win."
The film features heavy hitters like Ivan Moody of Five Finger Death Punch, and Bad Wolves’ own Doc Coyle makes an appearance. For DL, the jump from the stage to the screen is just another form of artistic output.
"I believe Doc is in the movie. I’m not sure to what extent who does what, but I’m pretty sure the guys are in the movie. I think everybody is really of the mindset of just creating, whether it’s music, movies. I think we’re all artists, in a sense, and we like challenges and we thrive under pressure. So if that kind of opportunity arises, it’s like, Why not?"
The last 18 months have been a strange, stagnant time for the world, but for Bad Wolves, it was a period of forced incubation. The pandemic allowed them to audition DL and record *Dear Monsters* without the ticking clock of a tour schedule.
"Definitely this process of the tryout and just going back and forth with the guys. With that also doing production and just taking the time and just utilizing this time. Especially for artists and people working in this industry, it’s still kind of a shaky time," DL reflects. "I think the best thing that I was able to do and just anybody in general in this industry was to be able to spend more time than you normally would on records or just kind of creating. It was a blessing in disguise."
And that extra time is baked into the record's polish. You can hear the lack of rush in the vocal layers and the precise percussion.
"Even with that, even this record, doing Dear Monsters, writing it, it was a different scenario. We were able to wrap a song and then come back to it maybe even a month or two later because we had that the luxury of just having time ahead of us. So I think that might be one of the reasons why we feel that this album is so special because we really had a chance to let it sink in and simmer and make it arrangement changes and just really digest the material for longer than what we normally would have in a record cycle."
It is a sentiment echoed across the industry. The lockdown was a mental health crisis for many, but for the creative class, it was a chance to disappear into the work.
"Yeah, I think that helps mentally too. Just dive into your work and lose yourself in it," DL agrees.
But the real test is the road. A tour with Disturbed was scrapped and rescheduled, leaving fans wondering when the new lineup would finally face a live audience. DL has the intel on what is coming next.
"I’m not too sure what happened with the Disturbed tour. Maybe they’re rebuilding it to for a later date, but I do know at this point we did get green lighted and okay to talk about what’s coming up for us," he says.
And the plan is a heavy-duty package that should satisfy the radio-rock crowd and the hardcore holdouts alike.
"I think in February we’ll be doing a tour. It’ll be Bad Wolves, Hollywood Undead and Papa Roach. That’s what’s on the docket right now. We’re really excited. It’s going to be fun to get out there."
As the interview wraps, it is clear that Bad Wolves is no longer a band defined by a cover song or a controversial exit. They are a professional unit, rebuilt for longevity. Whether the fans follow the new melody remains to be seen, but the machine is running smoother than ever. Check out the tour dates and the new record at BadWolvesNation.com.
