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A strong unique release, but still has some potholes throughout the ride.-
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| Powerwolf: Blood of the Saints |
Power Metal
Metal Blade Records
August 2nd, 2011
- Agnus Dei (Intro) - 0:49
- Sanctified with Dynamite - 4:26
- We Drink Your Blood - 3:43
- Murder at Midnight - 4:48
- All We Need is Blood - 3:36
- Dead Boys Don't Cry - 3:25
- Son of a Wolf - 4:00
- Night of the Werewolves - 4:31
- Phantom of the Funeral - 3:10
- Die, Die, Crucified - 3:01
- Ira Sancti (When the Saints Are Going Wild) - 6:26
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| Review Information |
Release length: 41:52
Review posted on August 6th, 2011
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| | Overall Score: 8/10 |
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| Discography |
Discography covers all information available up to day of review and is updated if future albums are reviewed. |
| Full-Length(s): |
Return in Bloodred (2005) • Lupus Dei (2007) • Bible of the Beast (2009) • Blood of the Saints (2011)
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| Review |
Powerwolf is a band that many probably have yet to hear, I for one was one of those individuals, but shockingly have existed since 2003 and have put out three full-length releases so far through Metal Blade Records. With Bible of the Beast being the third offering from this German-based Power Metal act, originally released back in 2009, the group now offers up their fourth full-length release two years later. Blood of the Saints stands a good chance of being a rather impressive release, especially given the track recording the band has had so far and the positive press given to them pover the years. But, does Blood of the Saints actually stand to be as strong an album as their past few offerings?
With the start of the album's introductory track, "Agnus Dei", the band gives us a somewhat impressive march to war atmosphere, a man speaking German against marching drums and howling wolves before hamming into a largely orchestral sounding Power Metal sound similar to what you might hear on a Rhapsody of Fire album, as well as some more classical operatic-style vocals before hammering into some heavy and grandiose Power Metal material. The guitars are heavy, and the bass works well with them to create a bit of a crushing effort, though still a bit majestic. The drumming keeps it's pace well throughout the album, and the kit sounds fantastic and full with the cymbol crashes ringing out nicely with a strong thud from the bass kicks. The vocals are a little louder in the mix and vary greatly between clean vocals and rhaspier higher and lower pitches depending the music. Overall, it makes for an interesting experience, which really makes "Santified with Dynamite" a catchy, yet really heavy Power Metal experience from start to finish with plenty of variety, such as the more slower paced choir-based passages leading to the the catchier chorus and the faster basic foundation of the song. This establishes the general atmosphere of the release as well, and for the most part it works well.
But, not all tracks on this recording are as fantastic. "We Drink Your Blood" comes next and clearly has a stronger Hard Rock foundation against the more over-the-top Power Metal foundation, and it sounds good given the more orchestral choir elements established on "Sactified with Dynamite", but the problem here is that it feels too much like a strong choir influence, which pushes it too far over-the-top, and it just really sounds like it's too much after a while, as if Lordi had tried to create an album that were a musical and pushed it to the limits. The track isn't all that catchy, and songs like this do appear throughout the album, but the other tracks here don't really sound as preachy, though tracks like "All We Need is Blood" feels like a track I'd expect to hear in some kind of Heavy Metal gothic musical, which can go between sounding very interesting and highly enjoyable, such as "All We Need is Blood", to rather boring and tame, such as "We Drink Your Blood".
That's about where the more choir-driven tracks come to an end. The rest of the album brings in more of a gothic-vibe to the heavy musical and orchestral sounding Power Metal, and it does manage to create a rather unique experience. "Murder at Midnight" is another strong track on the release that really deserve some extra attention with it's much catchier, yet darker approach in the lyrics, and even the music, though still having that stronger Hard Rock layer to the music. "Die, Die, Crucified" is another good track with it's slower ballad-like pace with sme choir-like music, but the vocals at times don't offer much variety and sound a lot like "Sanctified with Dynamite" at many junctions throughout. Aside that, you also have "Dead Boys Don't Cry", another stronger, catchier track with a slight Hard Rock vibe to it, and the more powerful Power Metal approach on "Night of the Werewolves" that leads to a great old-school Metal sounding track that is simply addicting.
Powerwolf come through with an album that is rather addicting throughout the release, but it also does have a few potholes along the way. Between some tracks not being as catchy or sounding like others you already heard, as well as some strong, infectious tracks that blur the lines between over-the-top Power Metal and Hard Rock, Blood of the Saints makes for a rather unique offering. If you haven't had the chance to experience the group, then now is definitely a good time to jump in and experience Powerwolf, a title rather fitting for this band due to the overall sound. Granted the atmosphere of the introduction doesn't really last through the recording, but emerges again at the end of the album on the closing song "Ira Sancti", there's no denying the more gothic orchestral approach works better in the long run, and makes for a much more enjoyable experience all around. Blood of the Saints may not be a masterpiece, but it's still a recording with plenty of solid tracks to it.
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Digital review copy of this release provided by:
Metal Blade Records.
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