ALBUM REVIEW: Call Of The Wild – Powerwolf
While most of their contemporaries find inspiration in the stock ‘sword-and-sorcery’ tropes of high fantasy, Germany’s POWERWOLF have spent nearly two decades proving themselves a slightly different beast within the power-metal scene, thanks to a ridiculously consistent run of albums based entirely around werewolves and religion and acclaimed live shows oft-dubbed the “heavy metal mass”. 2018’s The Sacrament of Sin saw the band reach new heights of popularity thanks to colossal singles like Demons Are A Girl’s Best Friend and Fire & Forgive, and now they’re looking to continue that momentum with their latest effort, Call Of The Wild.
What should be immediately apparent to those already familiar with the POWERWOLF back catalogue is that on the whole, the mission statement across Call Of The Wild seems to be “do exactly that, but turn everything up to 11”, rather than attempt any dramatic reinvention. Thunderous opener Faster Than The Flame kicks off proceedings with some sweeping orchestral backing before launching into a trademark galloping riff that could have come straight from any of the band’s previous work, while cuts like Beast of Gévaudan and the album’s title track showcase the same stunning knack for penning hooks the size of skyscrapers they’ve had since day 1, as operatic vocalist Attila Dorn belts out some of the best choruses the band have ever put their name to.
Nowhere is this better showcased than in Dancing With The Dead, a frankly ludicrously catchy song that seems to answer the question “what if POWERWOLF decided to write one of the best pop hooks of the year, and then bolt it onto some of the most knowingly grandiose Euro-metal backing since…well, Demons Are A Girl’s Best Friend?” Unsurprisingly it absolutely rules, and if there’s any justice in the world, should become a live staple for many years to come before long.
Perhaps most striking about Call Of The Wild though, is its position as possibly the most sonically experimental within the band’s ever-growing canon – at least, as much as is possible for an at-their-core symphonic power metal band. Blood For Blood (Faoladh) for example sees a new Celtic tinge thrown into the sonic melting pot to match the Irish folklore subject matter, whilst Alive Or Undead sees the lupine collective turn their hand to power-balladry for only the second time in their career, with gloriously overblown exceptional results.
Where their previous attempt, Where The Wild Wolves Have Gone, showed promise in this regard, here the band seem to have fully hit their stride in terms of the dramatic, with Dorn’s booming vocals given full focus atop initially just Schlegel’s delicate piano and organ work, before finally hitting a crescendo as the rest of the band appear and elevate the track into a stunningly over-the-top slab of brilliance that seems tailor-made for the imminent return of their live shows. Perhaps the most props across the album have to go to organist Falk Maria Schlegel, whose masterful implementation on keys seems to have been pushed right to the forefront more than ever before; becoming as integral a lead instrument as the guitars of Matthew and Charles Greywolf both here and on songs like Varcolac and the wickedly campy Undress To Confess.
Despite coming almost two decades into their run as a band, Call Of The Wild manages to achieve the rare feat of being almost a career-best album for POWERWOLF, thanks to everything the band do simply sounding bigger and better than ever before. Older fans will likely appreciate the further refining of the band’s sound and their experimentation with newer sonic elements in places, whilst those unfamiliar with this holy collective are sure to be swept up in the sheer bombast of its most ridiculous moments.
Rating: 9/10
Call Of The Wild is set for release on July 16th via Napalm Records.
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