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Nothing too unique, but still some solid traditional Power Metal.-
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| Wizard: ...Of Wariwulfs and Bluotvarwes |
Power Metal
Massacre Records
March 25th, 2011, October 25th, 2011, US
- Hagen Von Stein - 3:54
- ...Of Warifuls and Bluotvarwes - 5:08
- Undead Insanity - 3:46
- Taste of Fear - 4:54
- Wariwulf - 3:57
- Messenger of Death - 5:50
- Sign of the Cross - 3:54
- Fair Maiden Mine - 4:57
- Hearteater - 4:42
- Hagr - 4:04
- Bletzer - 3:52
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| Review Information |
Release length: 48:57
Review posted on November 7th, 2011
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| | Overall Score: 7.5/10 |
 
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| Discography |
Discography covers all information available up to day of review and is updated if future albums are reviewed. |
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Son of Darkness (1995) • Battle of Metal (1997) • Bound by Metal (1999) • Head of the Deceiver (2001) • Odin (2003) • Magic Circle (2005)
Goochan (2007) • Thor (2009) • ...Of Wariwulfs and Bluotvarwes (2011)
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| Demo(s): |
Legion of Doom (1991)
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| Review |
Wizard is a band chances are good you've never heard of before, or probably have but not this version. This group hails from Bocholt, Germany and has actually existed since 1989. Their debut album, Son of Darkness, was issued back in 1995, and since then there have been six more full-length albums and nothing else, with a new album roughly every two years. Looking at the discography, it's clear this band has spoiled their dedicated fanbase, and given the scores the albums have typically received over the years from critics and fans, this rather reliable release window seems to never really pose hasty repurcussions. But, with their eigth release ...Of Wariwulfs and Bluotvarwes, should we all expect the same kind of quality we've come to expect the past few releases?
Well, Wizard has never really been a top notch group, usually pulling in scores ranging from average to moderately above it. Of course, with some of their past material, the production was the fault instead of the music the band is playing that drove the score far below an average score. But, the audio quality is something that listeners don't really have to worry about with this release, as it holds a modern, cleaner quality to it with a good deal of emphasis on deeper, bassier tones against some of the high pitched distortions and vocals. The guitars here have a sharper sound to them that adds a nice edge to the music while the loud bass works with them to hammer away at the mix to make it all sound much thicker and richer. This works well against the mid-range clean vocal performance with higher notes that push falsetto ranges at times. The drum kit helps that rich sound out nicely with bass kicks that have a decent click to them that add to that bass fueled heaviness and tight snares with moderately loud cymbols that feel the appropriate volume for the release.
When it comes to the brand of Power Metal the group plays, they are often listed as an Epic version, but really there's nothing that really stands out to that branding. Instead, much of ...Of Wariwulfs and Bluotvarwes to be some solid Power Metal that's nothing too over-the-top or unique, but just downright enjoyable. "Hagen Von Stein" really sets up what to expect, and honestly it's great that the band simply heads into this album without trying to make a grand entrance through an introductory track. The song captures the general serious spirit of the Power Metal style that you would come to expect from any band that handles that type of music. The track's fantastical tones are clearly there and make for catchy, yet heavy music you can sit back and simply be enveloped by. The pounding bass works well with the higher tones of the music to really just give the album a harsher vibe with a rattling presence, though never really going into a thunderous territory. The title track, "...Of Wariwulfs and Bluotvarwes," shows off that rumbling sound nicely with the chugging guitar and bass chords against a strong, well paced double bass kick sound from the all around enjoyable drumming performed.
Aside "...Of Wariwulfs and Bluotvarwes," you'll find plenty of solid tracks here you'll come back to more then others. "Taste of Fear" takes the somewhat more aggressive route that Wizard can incorporate to their music, but it also has a really strong melodic chorus that is as infectious as the energetic and heavier verses and bridges that are at work on this album. The two wind up working in harmony with each other surprisingly well, and the chorus does offer up a slightly epic vibe thanks to the additional atmospheric elements of the background that seem to come through as rather low haunting keyboards, as well as the guitar solo that follows the second chorus, really adding that fun Metal vibe to it that you can only picture crowds going absolutely crazy for with how powerful it feels where it's placed, and with how strong a solo it ends up being. This is where the band does try to bring things closer to that over-the-top edge that acts like Manowar would sometimes cross, and it becomes apparent with the following track "Messenger of Death." This song's bass driven chugging introduction should immediately spark a "true" Metal vein with plenty of listeners as it marches along in that fashion with accomodating guitar work that accompanies it with a more melodic foundation in comparison. The drumming remains rather minimal at times too as the song itself continues to build up with every few lines being performed with a little more energy and strength vocally with a layered chorus that ushers in a commanding presence.
The rest of the album at this point is hit or miss. "Fair Maiden Mine" ends up being nothing too special and really becomes the most standard of performances to the style. The rather generic mid-tempo song really doesn't boast much to really keep the listener intent for it's near give minute length, and "Hearteater" approaches the slower pace with the same concept. The guitar solo here is perhaps the only genuinely interesting aspect of the song as this ballad-esque track tries too hard to feel more like an epic track while also dark and catchy, which doesn't really end too well for the band in the long run. The commanding presence is there, but the song itself again doesn't really offer much to the listener that really stands out. But these end up being the only two lackluster tracks of the release as "Hagr" takes a more energetic approach to the music once more, leadng to a very catchy track that you'll want to belt out the chorus to immediately, and "Bletzer" makes for a decent closing to the album with a more standard offering, but it does feel a little more on the aggressive side with a little extra vocal range during the bridge to the impressive guitar solo.
...Of Wariwulfs and Bluotvarwes is a good album with some solid tunes throughout. Sure some songs end up feeling a little less entertaining then they should be, such as "Fair Maiden Mine," but the solid Power Metal material here that takes hold of the contemporary concepts of the style with a rich audio sound really works out well to make an enjoyable full-length album. There's no gimmicks to be found, and nothing out of the ordinary either. Wizard take the fundamentals of good Power Metal and handle them with some delecate hands to put together an effort that varies in it's approach to the style from catchy and uplifting or fun to rather aggressive and edgier. If you want to hear some good music of this style, ...Of Wariwulfs and Bluotvarwes is a solid bet for the genre.
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