by Justin Gaines
– Senior Columnist —
Get ready to howl! German Power Metal wolf pack Powerwolf is back with a new album, their sixth, titled Blessed & Possessed. The band has been issuing albums every two years like clockwork since they debuted in 2005, and with each new release their legions of fans keeps growing.
If you’re not in that legion, Powerwolf is probably the most exciting band in the Power Metal scene right now. And if it’s not them, it’s probably Sabaton, who coincidentally have a very similar sound. Powerwolf just tends to sing about vampires, werewolves and Satan instead of tanks and World War II.
Powerwolf have mastered the art of writing catchy, headbanging power metal anthems, and Blessed & Possessed has eleven new songs you’ll be singing along with almost immediately. Sure they’ve take the same basic approach they used on Preachers of the Night, Blood of the Saints and pretty much every other Powerwolf album, but it’s hard to argue with the results. Even if they break zero new ground here, it’s simply not possible resist songs like “Army of the Night,” “Sanctus Dominus,” “Let There Be Night” and the title track. The whole album is a supernatural Heavy Metal call to arms.
As fun as the album is, you get the sense that the band isn’t really challenging themselves here in terms of songwriting. That’s probably not going to bother many longtime Powerwolf fans, but there’s not really anything on Blessed & Possessed you wouldn’t have found on Preachers of the Night. Still, that’s a minor complaint when the album overall is as good as this one is. Blessed & Possessed is recommended to just about any power metal fan, but especially fans of Sabaton, Mystic Prophecy and Brainstorm. It’s easily one of the best power metal albums 2015 has to offer.
Edition Notes: The deluxe edition of Blessed & Possessed is a real treat. In the thick slipcase you get the main album in a sturdy mediabook, and a second mediabook with the Metallum Nostrum CD. Metallum Nostrum is a 10-track covers CD that’s strong enough to outshine the main album. Powerwolf turns in some very well-chosen and well-executed covers of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath and more. The deluxe edition may not be cheap (it’s essentially priced like two CDs), but it’s worth the extra money and then some.
Genre: Power Metal
Lineup:
Charles Greywolf (b) (g)
Matthew Greywolf (g)
Falk Maria Schlegel (k)
Attila Dorn (v)
Roel van Helden (d)
Track Listing:
1. Blessed & Possessed
2. Dead Until Dark
3. Army of the Night
4. Armata Strigoi
5. We Are the Wild
6. Higher Than Heaven
7. Christ & Combat
8. Sanctus Dominus
9. Sacramental Sister
10. All You Can Bleed
11. Let There Be Night
Metallum Nostrum Track Listing:
1. Touch of Evil (Judas Priest)
2. Conquistadores (Running Wild)
3. Edge of Thorns (Savatage)
4. Power and Glory (Chroming Rose)
5. Out in the Fields (Gary Moore)
6. Shot in the Dark (Ozzy Osbourne)
7. Gods of War Arise (Amon Amarth)
8. The Evil That Men Do (Iron Maiden)
9. Headless Cross (Black Sabbath)
10. Nightcrawler (Judas Priest)
Label: Napalm Records
Website: www.powerwolf.net
Hardrock Haven Rating: Main album 8/10, Deluxe edition 9/10
