Powerwolf's 'Call of the Wild' - Album Review

Germany's Powerwolf seem to be one of those rare bands that are slowly transcending the traditional metal scene and approaching something akin to mainstream appeal. It would not surprise me if Powerwolf were soon able to fill arenas like their peers Nightwish and Sabaton, at least in mainland Europe, as the career trajectory of the German power metal five-piece has been somewhat similar. I first became aware of Powerwolf around a decade or so ago. 2011's Blood of the Saints was the band's latest album at the time, and I enjoyed it without ever really getting sucked in to the Powerwolf world. In truth I still have not, but the band have grown in stature considerably since Blood of the Saints. Regular album releases and tours were a big part of Powerwolf's modus operandi in the 2010s, and the hard work has certainly paid off. When I last saw the band in 2019, they were the Friday night's special guests at Bloodstock Open Air - where they filled the slot before the evening's headline act Sabaton. For many, they were the highlight of the day - and their fun-packed set certainly drew a huge crowd. For me, their set committed the sin of including far too much inane talking and generic crowd participation in between the songs - but there is no denying that Powerwolf deserved the huge crowd that they attracted on the basis of their actual performance. It was fitting that they played before Sabaton too, as to me the bands are quite similar. Both play a crunchy take on European power metal that is more routed in Accept than Helloween; and both have a theme that they stick to religiously. While Sabaton have always written about military history, Powerwolf have always written about beastly horror - with werewolf tales in particular being a favourite (unsurprisingly). Like Sabaton too, it does mean that the band can suffer from over-familiarity. As much as I love Sabaton, it is certainly fair to say that the band have a sound that they closely stick to - and the same can be said for Powerwolf. You know what you are going to get when you listen to a Powerwolf album - and that is true of the band's eighth album Call of the Wild which was released last month. Call of the Wild comes three years after The Sacrament of Sin (which I reviewed here), which was a solid entry into the band's canon. I think that Powerwolf have done stronger albums than The Sacrament of Sin but there was still plenty to enjoy on the band's seventh album. Call of the Wild is certainly more of the same, but I have been enjoying it a fair bit over the past month - and the songs, overall, in my opinion are more memorable than those found on The Sacrament of Sin. While it would be nice to see the band taking a few more risks sound wise, as a representation of Powerwolf's core sound Call of the Wild is another solid entry into the band's catalogue.

One of the strongest songs here for me is the album's opening cut Faster than the Flame, which is almost certain to open the band's shows on their upcoming tour and become a real live favourite in the process. It is typical of the band's opening numbers in the past in that it goes for the throat with a fast-paced opening guitar riff - and also that it throws everything at the songs in terms of atmospherics. The thing that really sets Powerwolf apart from Sabaton sound wise is their love of organ (pun intended - see below). For keyboardist Falk Maria Schlegel, if his instrument does not sound like it could have been a part of the soundtrack to a Dracula film then it is just not worth playing. His organ fills all of the album's songs, and Faster than the Flame is no different. The duelling guitars of the Greywolf 'brothers' always dominate the band's sound, and provide the signature crunch, but the organ is never far away. Neither is the choir, another big part of Powerwolf's sound (which helps to reinforce the band's faux religious schtick), which fills the song's chorus - which is one of the catchiest on the album. Frontman Attila Dorn is in fine voice throughout, and his rich baritone makes the song's chorus hit hard - with his playful vocal melodies sure to stick in the brain. Lead single Beast of Gévaudan reins in the pace a little, and goes for a more mid-paced approach. The band's trademark crunch is on full display, but so is their knack for a slightly more dynamic arrangement. The verses here are a little more sparse than usual, as the guitars drop out to allow the atmospheric keyboards to dominate, but this helps the chorus to hit home - which ups both the heaviness and the pace. There is also a great instrumental section here that fuses neo-classical keyboard lines with a shredded guitar solo. I think from an instrumental perspective the band have upped their game a little on Call of the Wild. The solos and instrumental passages sound a lot more interesting this time around, which is probably partly what is helping me to enjoy this album considerably more than their previous effort. This more interesting approach to instrumentation is apparent during Dancing with the Dead. The song still sounds like a classic Powerwolf song, but the verse takes a slightly different approach with staccato clean guitar riffing that is a little different for the band - before exploding into a catchy chorus that is packed full of swing, thanks to some great Roel van Helden drumming. A lengthy guitar solo reuses some of the chorus melodies, but turns them into a great shredded cacophony that enhances the song significantly - and the song is a highlight as a result. Varcolac is one of the band's more symphonic tracks, with the pace again staying relatively plodding which helps the overall atmospheric approach to shine. Organ is still a big part of the sound, but there are also strings employed - and the choir is used in a more gothic manner to provide depth. The crunch of the track is helped by some subtle gang vocals during the verses, which play off the groove of the riffs nicely, and provide some of the songs main hooks in the absence of a killer chorus. The band usually have a couple of these more symphonic pieces on each album, and they help to add a little variety.

Alive or Undead slows the pace quite considerably, and goes for a ballad-esque approach. The song opens with piano (although there is still an organ backing, of course) which Dorn croons over expertly. Another comparison with Sabaton is that both of the band's frontman have relatively deep voices for power metal - a genre which usually is built around high-pitched wails. Dorn's baritone, which at times sounds classically trained, is perfect for Powerwolf's dramatic, gothic-tinged sound - and songs like Alive or Undead allow him to demonstrate his vocal power relatively unhindered by external 'noise'. The song's chorus certainly ups the heaviness somewhat, as the Greywolf 'brothers' join in with the crunchy riffs (and there is a slow-paced, aching solo included too), but on the whole the piece is piano-led - which again helps to provide a little diversity. Blood for Blood (Faoladh) takes the band down a folk metal-esque path, which is one that the band have taken relatively regularly in the past. The song's main riff sounds a lot like Sabaton's Gott Mit Uns (I am sorry to keep mentioning Sabaton, but there really are a lot of similarities between the two bands), which is a little off-putting, but the song on the whole is still memorable - with a strong chorus and some catchy folky instrumental melodies throughout. The synthesised bagpipes are as cheesy as that description makes them sound, but that is all part of the fun. With Powerwolf however there is always a tongue-in-cheek element that needs to be appreciated - and the synthesised bagpipes are all part of the fun. Glaubenskraft, which roughly translates from German to 'power of faith' (or similar), is one of the band's German-language pieces - which are usually some of their most bombastic. In fact, the song is very similar to Stossgebet from their last album which was also sung in German. Both songs are bombastic, mid-paced anthems that pack all of the band's tropes into one song. They go all out in that regard, and as a result Glaubenskraft is one of the album's biggest-sounding pieces. The album's title track follows, and it returns to the faster approach of Faster than the Flame. The riffing throughout the song is tight and full of energy, while the keyboards constantly provide depth - as does the choir during the verses which really make themselves heard with some choice counter-melodies. It is the song's chorus that really sells it however, and it could well be my favourite on the album. Dorn has a way of making quite wordy lines sound natural, and that is the case here - the fast-paced hooks making the song one of the album's stand-out cuts. It is another piece that is likely to become a firm live favourite going forward.

Sermon of Swords retains the faster pace of the album's title track, but this time goes for something of a more traditional power metal sound. There is a bit less of a gothic tinge to the song, with Schlegel's keyboards taking a rare backseat. There is still plenty of bombast to be found, but this is largely delivered by the early driving guitar riffs or the gang vocal-led chorus. The verses are relatively low key too, with the bass dominating, which allows the chorus to hit harder when it comes crashing in - with all the bluster of the choir and Dorn's fast-paced melodies. The guitar solo is also more traditional metal in style too, with some of the phrasing bringing Iron Maiden to mind at times. The gothic drama returns in a big way for Undress to Confess however, which is one of the band's many tongue-in-cheek innuendo-filled tracks that fuses sexual and religious imagery to (sometimes) hilarious results. Undress to Confess is one of the better of these offerings however, and it is hugely infectious with another chorus that could be considered the album's best. The lyrics are just the right side of the clever/ridiculous line to make them enjoyable - but Dorn's performance is so compelling that even if they were not as well-written he would have probably still made them sound convincing. I imagine that the song will become another live favourite over the years, with its stadium-ready melodies and themes that most will find amusing. The album comes to a close with a snappy, and fast-paced Reverent of Rats - a song which is somewhat punky in its overall attitude. As a result, it is probably the song here that stands out the most in terms of the band trying something new. Everything else here has been a version of something that Powerwolf have done previously - but Reverent of Rats feels a little different. The punk vibe is not overly-dominant, and the fact that there is still plenty of gothic organ and choir ensures that it does not sound like a song by The Clash. I just cannot help but feel that parts of the song have a greater urgency than the band usually employ - which allows the song to work well as an album closer despite its short length. It is a bit strange that the band left this slight experimentation to the end of the album, but it is welcome nonetheless. Overall however, the album is very typical of Powerwolf's core sound. As I said above, it would be great to see the band experiment a little more; but at this point I think that the band are more likely to stick to the formula that is currently working - especially as they are becoming more popular year on year. It works for Call of the Wild on the whole too, and it has become possibly my favourite Powerwolf album of the handful that I have heard. There is a lot to enjoy here for those who love bombastic, crunchy power metal - and I am sure that the band's ever-growing fanbase will love every minute of it.

The album was released on 16th July 2021 via Napalm Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Beast of Gévaudan.