Powerwolf – Blood Of The Saints (2011)
1. Agnus dei (Intro)
2. Sanctified With Dynamite
3. We Drink Your Blood
4. Murder At Midnight
5. All We Need Is Blood
6. Dead Boys Don’t Cry
7. Son Of A Wolf
8. Night Of The Werewolves
9. Phantom Of The Funeral
10. Die, Die, Crucified
11. Ira Sancti (When The Saints Are Going Wild)
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Metal, whether it likes or agrees to this or not, is image based. This, is fact. It is only you, the consumer, that decides upon its true worth, its value, in the form of a numerical system of exchange. Or, in this day and age, ranting on the internet like a Daily Mail reader writing in to the admin office about their particular hatred of gays/immigrants/liberals etc. So the philosophy of worth in the Metal community has degraded into a titanic battle of the greatest minds that this age has ever known over the Social Network Tenements and Gladiatorial Arenas that are Facebook, Twatter, and various/specific forums where the weak of thought and education ply their finely honed debating skills.
How does this relate to the new Powerwolf album, Blood Of The Saints? There are bound to be plenty of drooling cyber-warriors offering their expert opinion on how this album does not meet their own expectations; many more for whom the novelty has worn off and are frankly bored, the imagery not enough to satisfy their impatient tastes. And for those that think the concepts and lyrics are silly? They are probably the same people that think singing about Satan is a viable and respectable alternative.
There are lots of “Hallelujas” and lyrics evoking the religious imagery throughout but what is important about the first song (after the religious organ intro) is the similarity in vocal harmony to the first track from Bible Of The Beast, “Raise Your Fist Evangelist” which is not unwelcome as “Sanctified With Dynamite” is a great opener; fast, aggressive and a great hook that bears all the hallmarks of the Powerwolf Power Metal sound. This similarity also occurs in the track, “All We Need Is Blood” which is almost too reminiscent of the brilliant, “Werewolves Of Armenia” but this would be a desperate search for negatives with which to fill cyber- column inches.
“We Drink Your Blood” opens with a keyboard chime that reminds one of a child’s music box that, if you play computer games or watch horror movies, you will be inured to its horrifying effects but it seems somewhat out of place. thankfully, this disappointment is only a couple of bars of torment before being lulled once more into the world that Powerwolf have been perfecting since Bible Of The Beast.
The Power Metal continues the pace of “Sanctified With Dynamite” in the downright catchy, “Murder At Midnight” whose central story provides a greater depth to the imagery; also in the catchy, “Dead Boys Don’t Cry” and “Phantom Of the Funeral” whose galloping and heavy guitar rhythm is only just outshone by the simple but beautiful guitar solo. At this point, you should assume that if we speak in positive glowing terms about a track, that is is catchy, for fear that we overuse the word.
The greatest criticism that one can level at the band is in the overuse of choral intros and over-abundance in the Catholic imagery, but this is a central theme in both their musical style and the oh-so-important imagery that infects all of Metal’s disparate and fractious community and also the stronger songs greatly overshadow some of the weaker songs, of which there are not too many.
Attila’s vocals are very unique, the only real comparison could probably be Sabaton’s Joakim Brodén but this is a flimsy one at best. He is a good, clean vocalist that only fails to hit the very high notes but whose mid-range is entertaining and enjoyable to listen to, fitting the overall sound quite well.
If you have not heard Bible Of The Beast then this will provide the perfect introduction to Powerwolf. If you have heard it and are not convinced, this album will not convince you your insanity is unwarranted. If you are a Powerwolf fan, you will love this album. We do.
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