Which band knows how to play the ideal combination of Mercyful Fate, Iron Maiden,
Saxon and Judas Priest? Swedish true metal warriors Wolf is the answer. Vocalist
Niklas Stalvind puts a big mark on that because of his voice that sometimes
sounds a bit like Mike Howe or a combination of King Diamond and Bruce Dickinson.
His warm voice makes the songs a pleasure to listen to. I also get the idea
that the band has even written better songs with more melodies that stick,
without becoming commercial.
It starts with "Shark Attack", with a refrain you
want to shout along with, immediately followed by the mid-tempo bit creepy track
"Skeleton Woman" with an acoustic solo included. Besides the acoustic solo the
band also used the xylophon on a song, but don't be afraid the band hasn't turned
into a soft wimpy version. "I Am Pain" is a track with a nice drive and babbles on
like a river. In every song the guitar soli are excellent and to underline the
adoration of Ritchie Blackmore there is the song "The Dark Passenger", which has
similarities with early Rainbow. The song has the typical riffage and slide
solo reminding of the album 'Rising'. In general the songs are perhaps a little
less fast than on the predecessors, but Wolf compensates that with well written
songs that are easy to listen to and they do all have nice refrains.
The production is
strong, it all sounds rather old school, but with a very modern touch. A nice
blue print of how classic heavy metal should be played like. Fans of Hammerfall,
Enforcer, Skull Fist and of course Wolf have to pull out their wallet.
