The Tennessee Werewolves Turn Survival Into a War Cry on “Rise Up”

“Rise Up” doesn’t sound like a comeback single. It sounds like a band kicking the door off its hinges. The Tennessee Werewolves channel real-life catastrophe into something explosive, and the result isn’t polished redemption rock. It’s raw, teeth-bared defiance. You can hear the scars in the distortion.

From the first riff, the track moves like a charging animal. The guitars are thick and punishing, built on a nu metal backbone that feels deliberately old-school but not stuck in the past. There’s a groove in the heaviness, a swing that keeps the chaos controlled. Angel Mary’s playing cuts like a blade, and the addition of Chris Wingo as second lead vocalist gives the band a brutal call-and-response dynamic. His voice lands like a battle cry while Angel’s melodies slice through the noise, creating tension instead of comfort. This isn’t a wall of sound for the sake of volume. Every hit feels targeted.

Knowing the story behind the song changes the way it lands. Angel’s overdose and recovery aren’t treated as marketing mythology. They’re embedded in the performance. The chorus doesn’t beg for sympathy. It demands motion. “Rise Up” functions less as an autobiography and more as a rally signal for anyone clawing their way out of something destructive. That universality is what makes it hit harder. It’s survival music, not spectacle.

The video leans fully into myth. A dystopian storm world, a wolf-headed train ripping across continents, red eyes burning through ice and smoke. It’s absurd in the best way, a heavy-metal fever dream that matches the song’s scale. The imagery suggests movement, escape, and collective uprising. You’re not watching a band play. You’re watching a universe being built around their rebirth.

The Tennessee Werewolves sound like a group with nothing left to lose and everything to prove. “Rise Up” captures the moment where personal hell turns into fuel. It’s loud, messy, and alive, the kind of track that reminds you why heavy music exists in the first place: to survive it and scream about it after.

How did Angel’s recovery shape the emotional direction of “Rise Up” during the writing process?

We were all fired up to have her back! Wingo had joined the band a year prior, and then everything abruptly went on hold when Angel overdosed and fell into a mental psychosis. The goal was to release a song that announced both her comeback and Wingo as co-lead vocalist. We wanted a song that stands for purpose and truth, and we hope it inspires all who hear it.

Wingo, what did joining as a second lead vocalist unlock in the band’s sound that wasn’t possible before?

It has allowed us to explore two different vocal ranges, two different tones, and two life experiences to draw from when writing and collaborating with each other. It opens the doors to more unique storytelling at times, and dynamically, it just takes things to another level. Where I can be more emotionally charged and very forward and direct, Angel can ground me and at times,s soften my delivery when it makes sense. She has the ability to get gritty and rock with the best of them, and there are times I compliment her power by bringing more of a groove while she’s driving. All in all, it’s very powerful. I love standing side by side with her and just bringing it! Rise is just the start of what’s to come. This band is a force, and I’m excited for everyone to hear what’s to come. 

The track feels both personal and universal. How do you balance telling your own story while making space for listeners to project theirs?

We took Rick Rubin’s advice. We first make the music for ourselves. We try to create what we enjoy and would listen to before we share it with the audience. The lyrics sometimes have a target or theme in mind, and other times they just pour out of Angel and Wingo, as if the words were always meant to be and have a higher purpose. We always want the songs to be relatable, but we also have to maintain authenticity. We feel that if you try to please people, you lose your artistic edge.

The video builds a full mythological world. What symbolism inside it feels most important to the band?

The symbolism of everyone coming together with one purpose, to stand together for each person's freedom to follow their dreams and be all they were created to be, and stand up to the systems that try to control them.

After surviving such an intense chapter, what does success mean to The Tennessee Werewolves now compared to a year ago?

The gloves are off, and we realize time is precious. We have one life to live, one chance to make an impact on this world. We want our music to be meaningful to every listener. Our music is intended to inspire, uplift, and bring healing where it is needed.