Powerwolf's 'The Sacrament of Sin' - Album Review

Regular readers of this blog will probably have gathered by now that I am quite a big fan of power metal. After classic rock and traditional heavy metal, power metal was probably the next rock 'sub-genre' that I got into while my music taste was being developed. Power metal played a big part in shaping my love of melodic rock and metal and, while I do not listen to the genre's biggest bands as much I used to, it is still something that I like a lot. Knowing this, it might surprise some to learn that one of the genre's biggest hitters, Germany's Powerwolf, have never been one of my favourite power metal acts. I have never really been more than a casual fan of the band, although seeing the band live last year when they toured Europe with Epica certainly increased my opinion of them. I own a few of their albums, and enjoy them all to some extent, but their live show took the band's material to another level. Since then, I have been listening to the band more often and this time actually made the effort to pick up their latest album, The Sacrament of Sin, on release day. Powerwolf were formed back in 2003, and have kept up a pretty regular release schedule ever since. The Sacrament of Sin is the band's seventh album, and those familiar with the band's previous works will instantly recognise the style. It is the band's first album since 2015's Blessed & Possessed, breaking the band's usual 2 year album cycle by putting an extra year between the two releases. This is the longest wait that Powerwolf fans have had to between albums since the band began, but I am sure that few will be disappointed with the results. This is the first Powerwolf album that I have listened to with the thought of reviewing it in mind, so it has been on fairly regular rotation in my house over the past month. I was familiar with the band's sound and, while this new album does little to shake things up, certainly delivers another album packed full of catchy power metal anthems with the band's trademark faux-Catholic imagery. Powerwolf's music is full of twisted religious imagery, changed up for a slightly comic effect, mixed with werewolf legends. This might be oversimplifying things slightly, but that description accurately sums up the band's style. The synths that usually fill power metal albums are replaced with organ sounds throughout, which helps to emphasise that religious feel, while frontman Attila Dorn's lyrics poke fun at the church and tell ludicrous tales at the same time, in a way that befits the epic backing. I think the word that sums up Powerwolf the best is 'fun', but they are not overly self-aware in the way that Alestorm have become. They seem to set out to create the most epic, yet accessible, music that they can and The Sacrament of Sin does that in spades. I defy anyone to listen to this album and keep a straight face throughout - it is probably impossible!

The album opens with tolling church bells and some dramatic strings, before the band kick in with the main riff to Fire & Forgive, with Dorn's rich, booming vocals really setting the tone. The song is pretty upbeat in that classic power metal mould with drummer Roel van Helden's fast double bass drumming keeping things moving. The short pre-chorus sections provide a slight change of pace, with Falk Maria Schlegel's organ providing a demonic backing to the Latin lyrics, before the band once again explodes in for the anthemic chorus. These 'fists in the air' type choruses are Powerwolf's speciality, and this is an instantly catchy one despite the obvious familiarity with the band's previous work. Demons are a Girl's Best Friend is more of a mid-paced offering, with Schlegel's organ providing the main hooks during the intro while the two Greywolf 'brothers' provide a crunchy backing with their guitars. This song was chosen as one of the album's singles, and I can see why because it really pushes the melodies to the fore. The verses are stripped back in that way that so many 1980s hard rock singles were, which allows Dorn's vocals to really dominate, before the big organ playing from the intro forms the basis of the chorus and the band lay down some huge wordless vocal melodies which are sure to really take hold live. Killers with the Cross is a similar, and opens with some spooky spoken word vocals that sound like they could have been taken from old an old 1950s horror film. This sets the tone nicely, and the song certainly fits with this horror theme nicely with the organ constantly filling the gaps between the other instruments and the guitars adding snaking riffs when they get going. Again the verses here are fairly stripped back, but the chorus here is heavier than the previous song thanks to some tougher riffing. The guitars in Powerwolf often form more of a backing for the vocals and keyboards, but they seem a little more prominent here and there is even a lengthy solo that impresses. Incense & Iron introduces a slightly folky feel to the album, with the guitars and keyboards duelling a catchy melody, which later forms the basis of the chorus. Folk metal is not something that I usually associate with Powerwolf, but this slightly deviation into that territory suits the band - and there is still enough of the band's typical sound to make it obviously Powerwolf. The chorus is a really catchy one, and one I imagine will really impress live with a crowd getting behind it. This is a song that is less spooky and Hammer horror than the rest of the band's catalogue, but still has that classic Powerwolf feel.

Where the Wild Wolves Have Gone is a ballad, and is based around some piano melodies from Schlegel. The band have done a few ballads in their career, but it is not something they are particularly known for. This one is decent enough, but I do not think it is something that they really excel at. The piano playing is strong enough, and Dorn has a voice that can be adapted for ballads, but I just feel that Powerwolf are a band better suited to the more anthemic and uptempo material. The change of pace is appreciated however, and it is still a perfectly listenable tune. Stossgebet, looking at the lyrics, is sung in a mix of Latin and German. The mix of languages is interesting, and the song - to me - has bit of a Sabaton feel to it. The chorus certainly sounds similar to something the Swedish band might have come up with (although with lyrics about war of course!). The powerful melodies ensure that the different languages do not hamper my enjoyment of the song. Powerwolf are not a band with world-beating lyrics in any case, so I am probably not missing out too much from not being able to understand them! This is certainly a powerful number, that is one of the most bombastic on the album. Nightside of Siberia is more of a guitar-led piece, with memorable riffing during the intro and verses that are bulked out with plenty of guitar rhythms rather than letting the keyboards do all the work. In fact, the keyboards are mixed well into the background here, giving the song a much meatier and heavier feel than anything else on the album. Dorn's vocals have a slight rougher edge too, which helps to emphasise this. While I do not feel that this song is as catchy as many of the others on the album, the overall bulk of the song helps it to stand out. It is good to see the Greywolf brothers cutting loose a little more here too. The album's title track is up next and opens with some spooky riffing before exploding into some traditional power metal twin lead guitar riffing. After quite a few mid-paced songs, it is great to hear another fast one - with the energy never really letting up throughout the piece. The chorus is classic old-school Powerwolf, with plenty of fast drumming and Dorn's fast-paced but clear vocals. It is one of those songs that is over so quickly because of the relentless pace, but it leaves its mark on the album, and adds an injection of pace into the album's second half.

Venom of Venus returns to the more mid-paced feel that dominates the album and once again features lots of prominent keyboard work from Schlegel. For whatever reason though, this song just does not hit home in the way that many of the others do. The chorus is still pretty memorable, but the song just feels a lot more laboured than many of the others. A couple of short twin lead guitar solos are the song's highlights however, and it really makes me wish that Powerwolf included more of this sort of thing in their music. Great guitar solos are always enjoyable, and in my opinion it is not something that the band do enough. Nighttime Rebel is much better however, with the keyboards providing dramatic melodies, and the guitars constantly adding heaviness. Sometimes a lot of Powerwolf's music is metal by default and not all that heavy, but this one has some serious weight behind it, as well as a stadium-filling chorus. The whole band work together to pull of the anthemic chorus, before a lengthy guitar solo section fills the song with lots of melodic shredding. This is one of my favourite pieces on the album, as it contains all of the things that make Powerwolf fun in my opinion. The album's final number Fist by Fist (Sacralize or Strike) mixes mid-paced verses with fast choruses. It maintains the heaviness of the previous track, with less atmospherics and more in-your-face guitars. The organ is still there, but it is mixed more into the background to allow for the tough rhythms to really drive the piece. The chorus is another winner and ensures that the album goes out on a high. It is the sort of melody that is likely to continue to be in your head after the album finishes, which is always a good sign! Overall, The Sacrament of Sin is another enjoyable power metal album from Powerwolf that sticks closely to the band's winning formula. While it would be nice to see the band taking a few more risks here and there, the memorable nature of most of the album will no doubt ensure its success.

The album was released on 20th July 2018 via Napalm Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Demons are the Girl's Best Friend.