When Niklas Stålvind formed Wolf in the mid 90s, traditional metal was about as fashionable as genital warts. The straightforward, steel crazed sounds of the early 80s was yesterday’s news, old hat, and even your dad’s music. Yet amidst a sea of extreme metal edgelords, nu metal numbskulls, and diet grunge dorks, Wolf persisted, hellbent on spreading the gospel of denim and leather to all who dared to listen. Fast forward over 25 years and 9 studio albums later. Stålvind remains as dedicated to this mission today as he was then. The lineup may have changed, but the ethos remains the same on Wolf’s latest album, Shadowland.
The best way I could describe Wolf to those uninitiated is an amalgamation of everything great about 80s metal in one band. They take the unabashed metallic pride of Judas Priest, unrelenting spirit of Power and the Glory era Saxon, and morose arrangements of Mercyful Fate, mix it all up, and then proceeds to throw in smatterings of prog, power, speed, and doom metal. When it comes to traditional metal, there’s very little this band can’t do. Of course, some releases lean more one way than the other. I certainly noticed this with Shadowland, which boasts a prominent doom metal edge akin to Black Sabbath and Candlemass.
This influence can be heard on the riffs and arrangements of cuts like “The Time Machine”, “Trial by Fire”, and the title track. I’d almost describe them as doom metal for non-doom metal fans, if that makes any sense. There’s also a strong sense of doom and darkness on “Seek the Silence”, but overall this song has more in common aesthetically with the first Metal Church album, which is always a good thing to be noted. The aforementioned Priest meets Saxon meets Mercyful Fate formula is showcased on the opening “Dust” and energetic “Visions for the Blind”, while “The Ill-Fated Mr. Mordrake” and “Rasputin” doubles down on the Mercyful Fate influence.
When they aren’t wandering in the realm of doom-laden traditionalism, Wolf unleashes a fiery brand of power metal that owes more to the savage 80s US breed than the overblown pomp of their native Europe. Take for example “Evil Lies”, whose triumphant twin guitar assault is a force to be reckoned with, as well as “Exit Sign”, which evokes a spirit of victory and valor. There’s part of me that wishes there was more power metal on here, simply because Wolf executes it so well, but I know there’s other albums in their catalog for that. As I mentioned before, Shadowland focuses on the doom and gloom first, everything else second.
Despite nearly 30 years of nonstop metal, Wolf’s bite remains deadlier than ever. Their devotion to all things true and traditional is nothing short of admirable. Add to that the fact that they make some killer music and you can’t help but love them more. While many traditional metal bands are just finding their footing with less than a decade’s time under their belt, Wolf are proudly embracing their status as future elder statesmen of the scene. If anyone’s gonna replace the likes of Priest and Saxon on the festival circuit 10 to 20 years from now, it’s gonna be Wolf.
7 out of 10
Label: Century Media Records
Genre: Heavy Metal
For fans of: Judas Priest, Saxon, Mercyful Fate