Blood of the Saints

A good horror flick, particularly one that resides in the realm of early classic, will be subject to sequels and remakes. It's not a matter of some diabolical capitalist conspiracy or a signal of a downturn in the creative output of its patron artists, but more a matter of physics. People love a good story, and successive generations can't help but want their own twist on it, as it allows for a sort of spectator participation. The story that is Powerwolf follows this trend, conjuring up all the old cliches of classical horror imagery (werewolves, vampires, and other offshoots of Medieval folklore and Roman Catholic superstition), married to a predictable formula that melds theatrical attire with a humble, retro-80s heavy metal sound. Each album has brought forth predictable updates in terms of production quality and perhaps a slight refinement of songwriting, but the formula remains rigidly traditional and the focus is towards maintaining an established style, and Blood Of The Saints, this band's fourth opus, does not disappoint in this regard.

As with this band's previous 2 albums, the theatrical flavor is not limited to the band's stage show and photogenic personas, but also permeates the musical presentation. The overture to this conceptual-leaning affair has a bit more of a military-march feel to it, perhaps hinting at a slightly more current Euro-power/symphonic influence, but the obligatory church bell and pipe organ sounds still rule the roost. This epic feel does not terminate with the introductory snippet, but follows in a succession of fairly fast-paced and enticing songs that, while reminiscent of this album's predecessor Bible Of The Beast, has just a bit more punch and glory going on in them. "Sanctified With Dynamite" all but steals the show with a driving feel and a massive sound that leaves the listener in bandages, yet manages to be infectiously catchy in spite of its more aggressive character. Similar episodes of faster paced, power infused goodness can be heard in "Dead Boys Don't Cry", "All We Need Is Blood" and "Phantom Of The Funeral", bucking the band's traditional metal tendencies slightly and bringing in more of a latter day Judas Priest character into the equation.

Nevertheless, it should be clear that despite a slight uptick in speed and fury, this is still very much a typical Powerwolf album, namely in that it leans a bit heavily on simple, mid-tempo, rocking anthems that are tailored towards easy digestion. The lullaby turned fist-pumping sing-along number "We Drink Your Blood" displays the theatrical, yet highly accessible character in question, relying on a groovy guitar stomp and a beat that occasionally reminds of the down-tempo feel of Metallica's long loved and hated Black Album, and sets the tone for much of the rest of the album as heard on "Son Of A Wolf", "Die, Die, Crucified" and much of the remaining songs that round out the listen. The powerful, dark classical tenor character of Attila Dorn's vocal assault and the heavy presence of church organ and keyboard sounds makes for an overall massive sound, but for the most part it's pretty easy to tell where these songs are going musically, and lyrically they revel in all the same cliches that have adorned this band's niche sound from day one.

It's difficult to avoid enjoying an album like this despite any lack of surprises, it is just so well accomplished and so easy to sing along with that it ropes in even the most nostalgic of cynics who don't think the past should be revisited. The primary thing working against it is that the band has all but relegated itself to one-trick pony status, playing off the same sound aesthetic and essentially writing a variation on a soundtrack to the same horror movie every couple of years. A few more guitar solos, an occasional well-placed interlude and a little more experimentation with different sound timbres could make this thing flow a bit better, but ultimately it's a difference between being really good and being outright fantastic. It's pompous, it mixes comedy with dark themes in a manner as much reminiscent of modern slasher flicks as the "Young Frankenstein" brand of classic cinema that it resembles more so musically, and all accomplished in compact little packages that could pass for radio if the FM stations of today were so inclined in my neck of the woods.

When I first heard German/Romanian power metal band Powerwolf a few years ago, I wasn’t overly impressed. Noticing the silly song titles, lyrics and the corpse paint they wear, I just couldn’t take these guys seriously, like the first time I heard and saw Finnish hard rock/metal band Lordi (for the record I have since come to enjoy Lordi’s music). Powerwolf’s music on their first few albums was hardly worth writing home about, but recently with their previous release ‘Bible of the Beast’, I noticed some great changes in their song-writing and was anticipating something even better with their next CD.

Well that moment has arrived with the Wolves releasing their latest album entitled ‘Blood of the Saints’, and boy what an improvement these guys have made in such a short time. When it comes to Powerwolf, what you see (and hear) is what you get, simple as that. Lyrics containing stories about Romanian mythology, werewolves, dark ideologies and religious tales (in an ironic sense) is these guys’ bread and butter and great fodder for European power metal as well. Unique Romanian vocalist Attila Dorn (also one of the best metal names around) is the X Factor on this CD and he has improved considerably over the last few years, particularly on his delivery, while he also sounds much more confident with his diverse range. Lastly, his thick Romanian accent just totally kicks ass, particularly when the song titles are about Romanian mythology and werewolves.

Musically there are also dramatic improvements from the previous two albums, where you could honestly say that some of the tracks on those releases were filler material; here on ‘Blood of the Saints’, every song is quite consistent, catchy and memorable. I don’t know if I had lower expectations before listening to the new disc or not, but I was more than pleasantly surprised with the output from the dark wolves, especially the crushing guitar riffs, drum beats and the catchy song structures; all of which have improved tenfold. And the staple instrument at Powerwolf’s disposal, the pipe organ adds further depth, diversity and realism; like the band were preaching from the church of hell.

Overall, the songs flow far more smoothly than before, a true power metal style, rather than the chop and change style I was used to hearing from Powerwolf. The guitar chords have much more grunt and conviction in them, while the endless wild riffs and thundering hooks really caught me off guard. I feel that Powerwolf have slightly done less of the theatrics, the tongue-in-cheek stuff, and more just straight to the point. No messing around here on ‘Blood of the Saints’, which I think is best for all involved, after all the “gimmick” can wear off just as quick as it started.

After the intro we are introduced to the dynamic “Sanctified with Dynamite”. A choir and organ begins the song, followed by furious pounding on the snare drum, then the main kick ass riff blows in and takes your head off. Very catchy, “Sanctified with Dynamite” has many sing-a-long parts and is easily one of the best tracks on the album. “We Drink Your Blood” is a slower paced song than the previous, quite melodic and catchy yet again. The chorus is memorable, with choirs soaring high; with Attila leading the charge with his powerful vocals. “Die, Die, Crucified” reminds me a little of Hammerfall, with the choirs and melody, while the lyrics and sing-a-long parts are reminiscent of Lordi. The marching drumming is impressive, and despite the simplicity of the track it’s more of a fun song than anything else and would be a fantastic track to perform live and get the crowd into it.

“All we Need is Blood” begins like an evil church sermon, with the pipe organ in full flight and Gregorian-esque style chanting booming loud before a shout from Attila and the main thundering riff kick in. Another melodic and catchy track, “All We Need Is Blood” is yet another standout track on the CD. Other excellent tracks on ‘Blood of the Saints’ include the exceptional “Murder at Midnight”, while the mid-paced melodic “Son of a Wolf” is also a track that will receive plenty of spins among the others. My only gripe of this album has to be the length, which comes to an unfortunate halt at just under 42 minutes. Luckily, however, if you are able to purchase the limited edition version of the CD, then you will be in luck as it comes with a bonus disc called ‘The Sacrilege Symphony (And Still The Orchestra Prays)’. On the CD contains orchestral versions of five Powerwolf tracks and it was arranged by Russian Film score composer Dominic G. Joutsen, who has previously worked with Portuguese gothic metal band, Heavenwood.

So my question is, if the previous Powerwolf releases have made you want to run with the wolves and howl at the full moon, then ‘Blood of the Saints’ is the album for you. I believe that this latest quest from the dark wolves is easily their most consistent to date and, in my opinion, their best release to date as well. There’s a lot here to like about this album, and I urge you to track this one down before the wolves are at your door.

(Originally written for www.themetalforge.com)

Aesthetics can be a powerful thing. For example, you know what you're getting yourself into when you come across an album adorned with a silly doodling of a virgin sacrifice entitled Goat Fucking Moonpocalypse, but every once in a while (if you're a clueless dork like me) you'll catch a curveball. Apparently Powerwolf had quite a bit of buzz surrounding them thanks to their two previous efforts, Lupus Dei and Bible of the Beast, and despite my enjoyment of the over the top style of heavy metal they play, they managed to completely slip me by. The aesthetics point comes in here because after seeing a promo photo of the band all in corpse paint and hearing their 2011 release was titled Blood of the Saints, Running Wild-esque German speed metal was about the furthest thing from my mind. And maybe my initial surprise is one of the reasons I'm so nice to this album, but I'd like to think its merits speak for themselves.

First off, Attila Dorn is a beast of a vocalist. In all honesty, the sheer depth and power of his voice is the main draw of the band to me, not the silly image or huge riffs. Most of the tracks feature a choir effect of his voice, which works fantastically well with the big latin choruses and orchestration. Even when his voice is going it solo, it commands a fierce presence around it and really takes center stage. Unfortunately the lyrics are pretty silly for the most part. This gothic horror image they shoot for gets props from me for at least being different in terms of heavy/power metal bands, but the lyrics themselves are usually incredibly blunt and ridiculous sounding. The dearth of complexity on that front really gets hammered into your head when the voice shouting these things is so powerful. It also doesn't help that he, like so many other German bands, I've noticed, can't seem to pronounce many simple English words properly. Therefore his thick accent just makes the already silly lyrics even more amusing.

After falling in love with this album, I went and gave their back catalogue a look-see, and I can see that this band doesn't do a whole lot in the way of evolution. This is essentially a bizarro Bible of the Beast, as both albums are arranged in the same way, with similar songs placed in similar spots of the album. Opening with the booming latin chorus, ending with the slower hymn, it's just all there two years prior, thus making Blood of the Saints kind of a redundant release. That said, it's still damn awesome. There are a few double bass filled speed metal numbers like "All We Need is Blood" and "Dead Boys Don't Cry", heavy hitting heavy metal anthems like "We Drink Your Blood" and "Son of a Wolf", some downtempo numbers like "Die, Die, Crucified" and "Ira Sancti (When the Saints are Going Wild)", and even a few that really channel the best metal band to walk the earth, Running Wild, with "Phantom of the Funeral" and "Sanctified with Dynamite", the latter song trailing only "St. Satan's Day" from the previous album for the title of Powerwolf's best song. Each song has a huge, fist pumping, singalong chorus and it's hard not to get swept up into the grandeur that the band commands. Yes, it's hard to deny the goofiness, but it's taken so seriously that I just can't help but buy in to it. The theatrics take center stage and the music provides a fine conductor for the spectacle.

Have you ever seen Rocky IV? It's the most ridiculous, overblown, corny, goofy movie I've seen in pretty much all of my years of existence, but goddamn isn't it awesome?! This is exactly how I feel about Powerwolf, they play a pompous and over the top style of heavy metal that's really more about flair than substance, but it's just plain awesome. This is fun, and sometimes that's really all I need to be satisfied. Yeah, Ulcerate is pretty great and Immolation rocks my socks and all, but neither of those bands are particularly fun to listen to. I can pop this album in at any moment barring a funeral, and it will surely be a hit with me. It's good, mindless, fist pumping fun and I can't think of any other way I'd rather have it. Sure the album is flawed in the sense that long term fans won't find much new and it really loses steam at the end barring the middle section of "Ira Sancti", but everything is really well written and does its job perfectly. The best tracks are probably "Sanctified with Dynamite", "We Drink Your Blood", and "Phantom of the Funeral", but I don't say you could really go wrong with anything other than maybe "Die, Die, Crucifed".

Bonus trivia: The way Attila pronounces "Kyrie eleison" sounds like "Period song", therefore making "We Drink Your Blood" way funnier.


Originally written for http://lairofthebastard.blogspot.com/

The fourth output by German power metal band Powerwolf, ’’Blood of the Saints’’, didn’t step away one bit from their previous album ’’Bible of the Beast’’. It’s basically the same mix of horror-related lyrics (mmm, cheese!) Attila Dorn’s incredibily powerful vocals, some nice chunky riffs and sinister organs. It seems that band sticks to ’’If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it’’, which is both good and bad. The good side is that you know what you are going to get (described above), and the bad is that they are obviously stagnating and there is a possibility that they end up like Hammerfall, not able to create anything new, fresh and interesting. But, onto the songs.

The album structure is literally the same as on ’’Bible of the Beast’’: from the opening ’’Agnus Dei’’, to the closer ’’Ira Sancti’’, all the songs are in the same fashion and structure as on the predecessor. The good thing is that this album is more catchy then the previous, with a couple of songs that just make you sing along to them. These are also the best songs here, and that would be ’’Night of the Werewolves’’, ’’Son of a Wolf’’, ’’Dead Boys Don’t Cry’’, ’’Die, Die, Crucified’’. They’re great display of what Powerwolf is all about: comic horror lyrics and atmosphere combined with unbeatable Dorn’s vocals. As you might notice, I think that the second half of the album is better than the first; on the first half there are some unbearably cheesy songs: ’’Sanctified with Dynamite’’ (the title speaks enough), ’’We Drink Your Blood’’ and ’’All We Need is Blood’’. OK, guys, you love blood, gotcha there.

There’s one man that’s constantly progressing in this band, and that would be, of course, Attila Dorn. He has improved a lot since the debut ’’Return in Bloodred’’. Slowly but surely, he’s becoming one of the best, most original and most recognizable voices in power metal. Among tons of faceless power metal vocalists, all of them sounding the same, Attila’s gritty, dark, operatic voice is truly a breath of fresh air. His voice is also one of the most intriguing I have ever heard, and best example of this is in ’’Night of the Werewolves’’. Truly magnificent performance.

No doubt that this is a very good album, with some mind-blowing songs, but overall, Powerwolf seem to be a little stuck with this record. This band really needs to do some experiments with their music and lyrics in the future, otherwise they’ll bore us to death with blood, vampires, werewolves and similar intellectual topics, and their music style with organs and opera intros also begins to be slightly repetitive. If you don’t mind cheesy lyrics and undiversified (but mostly ass-kicking) music, then I strongly recommend you this album, it’s definitely a hell of fun.

This band is so lame. Powerwolf seem to have gotten quite a lot of good press for their new album Blood of the Saints, but I just can’t get into it at all, and frankly I think it kind of sucks.

The main problem with this is that GOD AWFUL gimmicky choir bullshit they keep putting in every song. The first song’s “Die! Die! Dynamite!” bit is one of the most annoying things I’ve heard in a metal song lately – just juvenile as hell. Other childish and idiotic romps like “We Drink Your Blood” come out sounding something like a high school football stadium chant possessed by Satan. Seriously all I can picture is a bunch of goofy cartoon zombies on a football field pumping their fists to this, trying to get everyone in the audience to sing along, but failing because the chants just aren’t good. “All We Need is Blood” is terrible too; goddamn those faux-operatic choir bits are bad. It’s just so corny, and doesn’t have near the enjoyment factor they were going for. I think the reason this isn’t cool is because the chants are just so egregious and so try-hard that they end up sounding desperate for the listener, whoever he or she is, to enjoy it JUST A LITTLE BIT. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t find such pandering to be worth my time.

It’s a little more tolerable when the band sticks to doing generic speedy power metal, like on “Night of the Werewolves,” but even then, if you wanted generic power metal with dark themes, why aren’t you listening to Mystic Prophecy’s Fireangel instead? It’s better written and way cooler than Powerwolf, which is more the equivalent of that scrawny kid in high school who dressed like Dracula for no reason and drew pictures of half-naked ladies in bondage get-ups in math class.

Really, this is just disappointing because it’s not like the band is untalented at playing – the singer has a strong voice and the production is good, but the songwriting is just dull and clichéd. The vocal melodies are all really poppy and irritating and the riffs, while heavy, just aren’t really that great a lot of the time. Every once in a while, like on “Son of a Wolf,” they conjure up a good one, but mostly they’re pretty passé. And I just can’t get over those stupid, stupid choirs. It’s a really, really lame gimmick, and mostly makes me wish the band had been shoved in a few more lockers back in school.

So Blood of the Saints is pretty forgettable in every way aside from its worst parts, which is never the way to go. I can’t say this is absolute swill, as it’s mostly just in one ear, out the other, but it really isn’t entertaining and I can’t say it’s worth anything if you actually like power metal as a real genre. Stick to Mystic Prophecy, Bloodbound or Wolf – all of those bands do this kind of music way better. Powerwolf is the kind of thing I’d be physically embarrassed to be caught listening to.

Originally written for http://www.metalcrypt.com

Based on the blasphemous cover art and ghoulish title given to Powerwolf's fourth album, one might stop and actually view the band's mockery of religious figures and pseudo-Satanic gimmick as sincere...that is, until one hears the cheesiness which vitalizes the group's power metal blueprint. Their outlook may be a tad inflated and there's nothing funny about the elementary songwriting, but Powerwolf, for some divine reason, remains a very addicting group. Why? Some say the choruses, other justify the accessible musicianship, yet whatever the reason, they are frontrunners of the anthemic power metal niche without debate. Powerwolf's grandiloquent material returns in analogous fashion throughout "Blood of the Saints," and although few things have changed in the Powerwolf camp, this is still pretty fun and amusing despite the goofy overtones and outrageous posture, but that's to be expected; after all, it is Powerwolf.

But seriously, these creeps are really impressive at what they do. Powerwolf's agenda during the whole of "Blood of the Saints" pretty much reflects the chorus-heavy patriotism and lycanthropic dimness of the faction's tenebrous discography through each and every song, yielding many sing-along choruses and catchy melodies in the process. Musically, the riffs are fairly simple and lack total variety, but are still nice enough to trigger those reflexes in your neck, and the group's many tempo-shifts and influences certainly shine in different magnitudes as the record gallops onward. Attila Dorn's vocals nails up the general creepiness to a tenfold, and his overall ability is just superb; a great performance from Dorn as usual. I find myself enthralled by the organs/keyboards with every listen as well, because the collision produced against the instrumental front is delightfully campy, like a horror movie with a terrible plot and foul acting that you just can't not love to death.

The production carries the conventional ball and chain of any power metal release as the guitars flow powerfully underneath Dorn's ominous chimes and the brooding keyboards; the overall sound is clear and pristine, a great match for Powerwolf's testaments. Every track is surprisingly memorable in its own right overall, except for "Ira Sancti (When the Saints Are Going Wild)," which stinks up the band's equation with a trite chorus and customary rubbish of an irksome nature. In terms of content, "Blood of the Saints" would not be my first choice for an introduction into the mythology of these lycanthropic cultists, yet I'm still overwhelmed by the band's ability and find the catchy choruses bouncing from one end of my brain to the other during my downtime. Catchy, addictive, memorable...oh yea.

The compositions are far from tricky and lack a sense of sophistication, but Powerwolf has more grabbing riffs, tasty melodies and hooking choruses at their disposable than the average power metal faction that's addicted to excessive keyboards or stereotypical clichés. "Blood of the Saints" just delivers simple, catchy songs idolizing obsessive curves and powerful instrumentality, and the curse of Powerwolf smothers the anthemic power metal postulate with the band’s signature shade of gothic, nocturnal surroundings that these Germans have authenticated into power metal, although a few tracks lag on aimlessly or act too narcissistic for the album's own good. Despite the occasional error, "Blood of the Saints" still isn't a bad album overall and sits comfortably next to Powerwolf's ostentatious discography.

This review was written for: www.Thrashpit.com

Why, oh why, did I not check out this Powerwolf act earlier? Looking back, it might’ve been for immature reasons (all that religious imagery and whatnot), but my seeing the forest for the trees was pretty self-limiting. I didn’t realize, in the end, that said imagery was just DRIPPING with irony, and the music I’d stayed away from with fingers crossed upside down was absolutely incredible; “Lupus Dei” laid the foundation of genuine interest, and “Bible of the Beast” had me hooked so completely that I still kick myself for not giving these Romanian wolves a limb of mine to chew on. Oh well…better late to the party than not showing up, I’d say.

It’s been quite a while since the wolves of power stormed my ears with new material, and with the blood of the saints laid in a chalice before me, I ready myself for a nice, big swig…

And what a fine taste it has…as with albums passed, the combination of ripping metal riffs and midnight-black organ lines puts quite the chill down my spine in such a mysterious way; how is it possible for a group to make such cold, dark music fun to listen to? Whatever that secret ingredient is, it’s still a strong garnish in this cauldron of musical goulash, and while I’ll admit that not much has changed in the overall scheme of things since “Lupus…”, all those years of chops-tightening has been most beneficial in making the performance spirited and interesting. Such is the necessary way for metal bands in this day and age, no matter the genre, to maintain staying power with me; give me great music! Give me infectious hooks! Just give me a good album! Is that too much to ask? For some out there, it apparently is…but I won’t say who as you, dear reader, should know by now which musical acts drive me up the wall with their inability to make a good product.

When it comes to “Blood of the Saints”, though, there’s a lot to take in and enjoy. I’d not heard a power metal album so dark and evil in many a year, and that moon-clad appeal had quite the profound effect on my poor, abused eardrums. It’s catchy, it’s wicked, it’s just plain bad-ass, and it just got better as the album went on. The ripping guitars, the battering drum work, and the nightmarish keys work in such great conjecture that one could feel his spirit grow cold with fear as song after song threatens eternal darkness and quenchless bloodthirst upon it. It’s for the ravenous wolf of the night in all of us, and those sacrilegious hymns are augmented all the more with Mr. Attila Dorn’s unbeatable singing; not since Hansi Kursch have I heard metal vocals so powerful and monstrous, easily knocking some of those falsetto-clad crooners flat on their ass with range and intensity alone. His unholy howling works wonders with his band of merry lupine demons, as tracks like “Sanctified with Dynamite”, “All We Need is Blood”, and “Die, Die, Crucified” can attest to.

So in the end, “Blood of the Saints” is another reminder of Powerwolf’s awesome appeal. I can honestly say that this will end up being an album that will see a lot of playing time…not as much as, say, “Bible…”, but I clearly don’t see myself putting this on the shelf and forgetting it; it demands my attention loud and clear. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I feel the compelling urge to stalk the countryside for flesh and blood in the dead of night. Ave Lupus!

Let's face it, folks, Powerwolf's absurdist nature and reliance on theatrical corpse paint is not about to win them over many new fans among those that take their flower metal seriously. Yet the band has thus far always come through with regards to their songwriting, with three entertaining albums already under their belts, one of which, Lupus Dei, was astoundingly memorable and fun. They've been releasing a new full-length every other year, maintaining a steady rate of production without spreading themselves too thin, so I'm a little sad to say that it appears the Romanian-German act has run full out of steam conceptually, and Blood of the Saints feels like a mere retread over the pack's previous proving grounds.

I was actually pretty stoked for this record when I heard the sample track floating around called "Sanctified by Dynamite" (what a title), but it turns out that's one of the better songs on this album, with a nice escalating verse sequence building into another of those mighty (and silly) chorus parts that ricochets around in your head. The riffing and leads are once again tight; they are solid throughout the entire album, in fact, but very few individually scream out for instant replays, and thus once more the burden is lain upon Attila Dorn, whose high register howling is redolent of a more potent, operatic Ozzy Osbourne, and performs his task with the same faculty as all the previous albums. But there are really no new tricks here. The same pipe organs are used to give same haunted castle impressions, the choruses are beginning to bleed together in the memory, and the lyrics all revolve around the same subjects: vampires, werewolves, the Church, Satan, funerals and so forth. I understand it's 'their thing', but how many 'blood' and 'wolf' anthems are the band going to write? "We Drink Your Blood", "All We Need is Blood", "Son of a Wolf", "Night of the Werewolves". You see what I'm getting at.

That's not to say that Blood of the Saints is bad, because it's not. It plays it completely safe, with the only deviation arriving in the muted rock intro riff to "Night of the Werewolves". The album sounds enormous, polished, and professional, much like any other they've released. Those who want only a mirror reproduction of Lupus Dei or Bible of the Beast will find the fourth opus much to their tastes, but I for one wouldn't mind if Powerwolf waxed a little more creativity into their writing, rather than just repeating themselves to diminishing returns. They already bought me with the tongue-in-cheek horror and blasphemy years ago. Now would be the time for some further development of character and theme. There are some genuinely entertaining songs to be found here, in particular the driving German power metal surges like "Phantom of the Funeral" and "Dead Boys Don't Cry", but ultimately it seems to course along the same old Möbius strip, looping back on itself ad infinitum. They've got the air raid siren front man. They've got the sacrilege. They've got the fangs. They've got the 'image' (love it or hate it). Now break the downward spiral and bite our heads off again. No more scraping by.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com