ALBUM REVIEW: Powerwolf – Blessed & Possessed
German power metal band POWERWOLF have returned after their 2013 release, with Blessed & Possessed.
As with any POWERWOLF record that is being listened to for the first time, there are the wondering thoughts of if you have put the previous record on by mistake. The theatrical looking band have a talent of keeping the consistency for their sound so similar with every release, however it hasn’t stopped Blessed & Possessed being one of the most anticipated records of 2015.
Blessed & Possessed has everything a fan of power metal needs; Cheesy lyrics, catchy chorus’s and that feeling an 80’s hair band has decided to make their music a slight bit heavier than what it was allowed to be in their day.
With tracks such as Armata Strigoi, We Are The Wild and Let There Be Night roaming around on the record, it effortlessly displays how controlled the music is behind the madness of POWERWOLF. It may be repetitive, but put this music into a POWERWOLF live show and you have an Army of the Night (get it?) singing back every word to you.
Emphasising on how Blessed & Possessed will be received live is just as important as the music being received through audio. POWERWOLF made every effort to explain how they wanted this record to blow its predecessor Preachers of the Night out of the water in terms of live attributes.
With the music that oozes out, be it the magnificent Christ & Combat, keeping speed and power or how Sanctus Dominus reaps in a cinematic drama, Blessed & Possessed has set the bar just at the perfect level for how the German quintet want their album to be perceived live.
POWERWOLF have a clever way of painting a picture to the story in which their music writes and each track on Blessed & Possessed proves that undoubtedly. Each track, despite their similarities has a different tale to tell.
From first and title-track Blessed & Possessed through to closing track, Let There Be Night, the album flows elegantly, leaving no room to grumble – even if you did want to hear something different to the past records before.
Blessed & Possessed may as well be Preachers of the Night II and people may complain for the lack of change in music, but it is their recognisable sound that makes POWERWOLF loved by many. The quintet wanted to go and make a record that could be played beautifully live and with Blessed & Possessed, they have certainly done it correctly. With stunning solos, riffs, vocals and theatricals pouring out at the seams, it is an album not to be missed out on.
7/10
