{"id":50170,"date":"2015-08-24T19:57:54","date_gmt":"2015-08-25T00:57:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=50170"},"modified":"2015-08-24T19:57:54","modified_gmt":"2015-08-25T00:57:54","slug":"powerwolf-blessed-possessed-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2015\/powerwolf-blessed-possessed-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Powerwolf | Blessed & Possessed<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Justin Gaines<\/span>
\n– Senior Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Powerwolf\"Get ready to howl! German Power Metal wolf pack Powerwolf is back with a new album, their sixth, titled Blessed & Possessed<\/em>. 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.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not in that legion, Powerwolf is probably the most exciting band in the Power Metal scene right now. And if it\u2019s not them, it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Powerwolf have mastered the art of writing catchy, headbanging power metal anthems, and Blessed & Possessed<\/em> has eleven new songs you\u2019ll be singing along with almost immediately. Sure they\u2019ve take the same basic approach they used on Preachers of the Night<\/em>, Blood of the Saints<\/em> 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\u2019s simply not possible resist songs like \u201cArmy of the Night,\u201d \u201cSanctus Dominus,\u201d \u201cLet There Be Night\u201d and the title track. The whole album is a supernatural Heavy Metal call to arms.<\/p>\n

As fun as the album is, you get the sense that the band isn\u2019t really challenging themselves here in terms of songwriting. That\u2019s probably not going to bother many longtime Powerwolf fans, but there\u2019s not really anything on Blessed & Possessed<\/em> you wouldn\u2019t have found on Preachers of the Night. Still, that\u2019s a minor complaint when the album overall is as good as this one is. Blessed & Possessed<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n

Edition Notes: The deluxe edition of Blessed & Possessed<\/em> 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\u2019s 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\u2019s essentially priced like two CDs), but it\u2019s worth the extra money and then some.<\/p>\n

Genre: Power Metal<\/p>\n

Lineup:
\nCharles Greywolf (b) (g)
\nMatthew Greywolf (g)
\nFalk Maria Schlegel (k)
\nAttila Dorn (v)
\nRoel van Helden (d)<\/p>\n

Track Listing:
\n1.\tBlessed & Possessed
\n2.\tDead Until Dark
\n3.\tArmy of the Night
\n4.\tArmata Strigoi
\n5.\tWe Are the Wild
\n6.\tHigher Than Heaven
\n7.\tChrist & Combat
\n8.\tSanctus Dominus
\n9.\tSacramental Sister
\n10.\tAll You Can Bleed
\n11.\tLet There Be Night<\/p>\n

Metallum Nostrum Track Listing:
\n1.\tTouch of Evil (Judas Priest)
\n2.\tConquistadores (Running Wild)
\n3.\tEdge of Thorns (Savatage)
\n4.\tPower and Glory (Chroming Rose)
\n5.\tOut in the Fields (Gary Moore)
\n6.\tShot in the Dark (Ozzy Osbourne)
\n7.\tGods of War Arise (Amon Amarth)
\n8.\tThe Evil That Men Do (Iron Maiden)
\n9.\tHeadless Cross (Black Sabbath)
\n10.\tNightcrawler (Judas Priest)<\/p>\n

Label: Napalm Records<\/p>\n

Website: www.powerwolf.net<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven Rating: Main album 8\/10, Deluxe edition 9\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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