Powerwolf – Blood of the Saints

Sigh. Look what I went and missed the first time around. Last year power metal band Powerwolf released their fourth album, “Blood of the Saints” and somehow I entirely missed out. I came across them a few days ago and realized I was confusing them with a different band, so I gave them a listen. Almost right away I knew I was going to love this album.

Power metal tends to have a lot of fantasy oriented music. Powerwolf goes in a slightly different direction and creates dark, somewhat gothic power metal. I look at these guys and think this is what Cradle of Filth would be like if they were a power metal band. These guys have the whole deathly white skin and black makeup thing going on, and for this album at least, they also have a mock church theme. I do not honestly care what bands look like, but seeing these guys does kind of make me want to listen to the music. Which is just fine, because the music is awesome.

The music, as I mentioned, is power metal. Rather than having a symphonic slant, “Blood of the Saints” feels more like it should be a Broadway play; it seems very theatrical. In this way, they also remind me a little of Lordi, only not quite as campy.

The production on the album is perfect. The guitars sound beautiful, the drums sound punchy, and the vocals soar. Backing vocals at times sound like a church choir. Some metal can sound downright cheesy and forced when it displays copious amounts of catchy vocal material, but Powerwolf pull it off famously, and with a minimum of cheese.

I will certainly be keeping an eye out for new Powerwolf in the future. I am not going to miss out on these guys again. Check out the official YouTube track for “Sanctified with Dynamite” below.