by Justin Gaines
– Senior Columnist/News Editor —
German Melodic Metal collaboration Wolfpakk returned this year with a new album, their third to date, titled Rise of the Animal. Wolfpakk is, of course, the project put together by vocalists Michael Voss (Mad Max, Casanova) and Mark Sweeney (ex-Crystal Ball) that features a rotating cast of guest vocalists and musicians. To say that they’ve assembled an all-star cast this time around is an understatement.
For Rise of the Animal, Voss and Sweeney are joined by guest vocalists Michael Kiske (Unisonic, ex-Helloween), Andi Deris (Helloween, ex-Pink Cream 69), Ted Poley (ex-Danger Danger), Joe Lynn Turner (ex-Rainbow, ex-Deep Purple), Rick Altzi (Masterplan, Thunderstone), David Reece (Bonfire, ex-Accept), Charlie Huhn (Victory), Don Dokken (Dokken), Marc Storace (Krokus), Michaela Schorer and Jean-Marc Viller (Daydreamer).
Musicians on this effort include bassists Bob Daisley (ex-Ozzy Osbourne), Al Barrow (Magnum) and Barend Courbois (Blind Guardian, Vengeance), guitarists Jeff Watson (Night Ranger), Ryan Roxie (Alice Cooper), Bernie Torme, John Norum (Europe), Doug Aldrich (ex-Whitesnake, Burning Rain), Axel Rudi Pell and Martin Rauber, keyboardist Chris Ivo (ex-Jaded Heart) and drummers Mike Terrana (ex-Rage, Axel Rudi Pell), Mark Schulman (Cher, ex-Foreigner), Simon Philips (Toto) and Chris Slade (AC/DC, ex-Asia).
Now that’s a lot of talent, but all the guest stars in the world won’t save an album if the songs aren’t good. Fortunately Voss and Sweeney prove yet again to be up to the task, delivering eleven very solid songs that are very much in the German melodic metal formula. The songs on Rise of the Animal would not be out of place on the average Jaded Heart, Bonfire, Mad Max or Masterplan album. They’re hard rocking, very melodic, and all have just enough of a metal edge.
Of the guest singers, it’s Rick Altzi, Andi Deris and David Reece who stand out the most, and Michael Kiske’s performance on the title track is very old-school Helloween, but it’s Voss who really shines throughout the album. If there’s a downside, it’s that Rise of the Animal is a pretty unsurprising and formulaic album, and even that is unlikely to disappoint most fans. By now you know what to expect from a Wolfpakk album, and you know you’re going to get it.
They may not be breaking any new ground here, but if you’re a fan of the European Melodic Metal sound or any of the players involved, you’re going to want to hear this. Just having this many Melodic Rock and Metal stars in one place makes Rise of the Animal an album that’s impossible to ignore.
Genre: Heavy Metal, Melodic Metal
Lineup:
Mark Sweeney (v)
Michael Voss (v) (g)
Track Listing:
1. Rider of the Storm
2. Sock It To Me
3. Monkey On Your Back
4. Highlands
5. Black Wolf
6. Somewhere Beyond
7. Running Out of Time
8. Grizzly Man
9. High Roller
10. Rise of the Animal
11. Universe
Label: AFM Records
Website: www.wolfpakk.net
Hardrock Haven Rating: 7.5/10
