Firewolfe | Firewolfe
by Nikiforos Skoumas
Staff Writer
A year past the Angel of Babylon debut, lead singer David Fefolt re-emerges with yet another heavy metal project/band, Firewolfe. To be fair, Firewolfe is actually the brainchild of guitarists Paul Kleff and Nick Layton who decided to join forces, also featuring bassist Zack Uidl and renowned drummer Jay Schellen.
In their respective careers this cast of musicians has delivered works in a multitude of rock/metal sub-genres, from AOR and glam metal to power metal and neoclassical; subsequently Firewolfe could be regarded as a return to ground zero, being heavy metal in classic ‘80s fashion. For that matter, Firewolfe demonstrates a bit of everything: thick riffs, melodic guitars, standard-to-groovy rhythm section, and stylish vocal performances, all balanced admirably on the ten songs of the album.
Firewolfe is far from a guitar-centric work as all instruments manage to shine on the release. It is true that you get a fair amount of guitar shred exchange between the guitarists, yet if one was to decide on the protagonist instrument on Firewolfe, that would definitely be Fefolt’s singing. In fact, lot of the album’s character is very much due to David who seems to know how to induce the ‘bad boy’ attitude of rock n’ roll in each song while combining it with the protestant nature of heavy metal vocals. And since classic-sounding heavy metal has been over-explored through the decades, (taking into account the NWOBHM movement) it comes down to David’s technical ability in forging this newcomer group’s musical identity. For the biggest part Fefolt meets that objective: while the riffs might have been heard before, the choruses are actually pretty memorable, indeed “Firewolfe,” “Armed Forces” and “Air Attack” require no more than one play for one to be infected by the vocal melodies.
That is not to say however that one does not come across minor surprises, namely “Back from Hell” breaking free from its opening mid-tempo groove into a speeding bridge and chorus bringing to the front some refreshingly sarcastic lyrics.
On the other hand, Firewolfe features “Metal or Die” and “Armed Forces” which could be characterized as extra-predictable fist-pumping anthems. Although such clichés are probably an attribute of the particular sub-genre of old school heavy metal and perhaps has to be there if a release is to be considered complete.
The case of Firewolfe is rather simple, for any enthusiast of ‘80s heavy metal, this is satisfaction guaranteed, baring all the musical elements a fan would expect to hear; conclusively Fefolt and co have successfully delivered on the promise of a classic-sounding metal album.
Genre: Heavy Metal
Track List:
01. Air Attack
02. Unholy
03. FireWolfe
04. Armed Forces
05. Back From Hell
06. Wicked Words
07. Ice Wizard
08. Tempter
09. M.O.D.
10. Feel the Thunder
Band:
David Fefolt – vocals
Paul Kleff – guitar
Nick Layton – guitar
Zack Uidl – bass
Jay Schellen – drums
Website: http://firewolfe.com/
Hardrock Haven rating: 7.5/10