Alright fellow metalheads, it’s time to raise those massive horns once more as we return to the Saarbrücken landscapes in Germany where Powerwolf has unleashed their tenth studio release on the Napalm label entitled Wake Up the Wicked. This is kind of unique for a band that have been around for nearly 22 years and have kept the power metal flag rising.
Mind you, I’m very new to Powerwolf’s music. And let me just say that after listening to their new album, the band have proven to me that the metal genre is still alive, and having massive, real kick in the stomach like no other! It’s been a great year for Metal this year. Why do you think that Gojira stole the show for the opening ceremony at Paris for the Olympics? Not to mention Mikael’s growling voice return to form for Opeth’s upcoming album, The Last Will and Testament on October 11th?
Everything is going according to plan for the world of metal. But let’s get back straight into Powerwolf’s new album. As I’ve mentioned earlier, it’s very unique to see this band, keeping the Metal flag flying to the sky, and not backing down without a fight.
Both Matthew and Charles Greywolf (Benjamin Buss and David Vogt) have kept the train chugging when it comes to survival, playing hard, and giving the rest of the band members including vocalist Karsten “Atilla Dorn” Brill, Christian “Falk Maria Schlegel” Jost on keyboards, and drummer Roel van Helden have all of the ammunition they need.
From the operatic chorus turned galloping ride into battle opener ‘Bless ‘em With the Blade’ to sailing across the land with thunderous classical arpeggiated beats on ‘Sinners of the Seven Seas’ and the chance for survival with madness on ‘1589’, Powerwolf are up for the challenge when it comes to the heavy storms that are approaching dry land. Once it hits, Atilla Dorn hits hard on his Blind Guardian-like vocal arrangements to ride off the storm like a bat out of hell!
Since I’ve mentioned Blind Guardian a second ago. Yes, you heard right. Take a quick example with ‘Viva Vulgata’. How metal can you get as Matthew Greywolf unleashes his mighty power on those mega riffs and Jost’s keyboards taking in those symphonic approaches towards the church organ, and Helden’s machine gun attack on his kit? You can just vision this adult-animated movie coming to life as if they wrote this for Taarna during the final section of the 1981 cult-classic, Heavy Metal.
When I think of the title-track, I think of the final section of Le Orme’s ‘Ritorno Al Nulla’ from their groundbreaking masterpiece Felona E Sorona where Matthew pays homage to the track for the first 26 seconds and then, it’s off to the race a-la Iron Maiden style! I can imagine Powerwolf were listening to the hidden treasures of the prog genre for source material to raise the walking dead (no, not the graphic novel and the tv series) and raising hell to eat human flesh like there’s no tomorrow!
‘Joan of Arc’ is a showstopper. Describing the tragic heroine who led the French Army after hearing voice when she was 13 to have been sent on this mission to save France by destroying the enemies until being burned at the stake at the Place du Vieux-Marche in Rouen at the age of 19 on May 30th, 1431.
Powerwolf’s militant beats set up the battleground and keeping her spirit alive with a sing-along chorus while ‘Thunderpriest’ returns to the NWOBHM and the Bay Area thrash movement in the 1980s with a thunderous kick, thanks to its brutal riffs, intensive drum work, epic keyboard arrangements, and background vocals to call upon the god of the gods across the heavens. And no, this ain’t no Marvel movie folks! This is a superhero song done right.
Epic, Movie for the Eyes, and in your face attitude, Powerwolf’s Wake Up for the Wicked is quite the adventure. And if you think they’re going to slip in this love song ballad, nope. They ain’t doing that shit! It is a strong and monumental release that’ll make you want to get your sword, medieval helmets, and ride off into the gorefest of all gorefests into the bloodiest battlefield that’s waiting for you!
