Formed over twenty years ago, German power metal band Powerwolf are known for their theatrical stage presence and dark, quasi-religious themed lyrics. Having amassed a large, dedicated following and slowly honed their style across two decades, on Wake Up the Wicked, they do not stray far from the formula that has brought them so much success.
The longest song on Wake Up The Wicked barely exceeds four minutes, yet such is Powerwolf’s desire to dazzle and ensnare from the outset that the album opens with the sub-three-minute exhilarating rampage of Bless ‘Em With The Blade. Like almost every track on the album, it could no doubt become a staple of a live performance. Sailors of the Seven Seas ramps up the contributions from Falk Maria Schelegel’s keyboards and sees Powerwolf playing a sea shanty - in the process, acknowledging the fact that they do not take themselves too seriously. Critiquing the historical narrative of religious conquest, the lyrics suggest that the actions of those who were soldiers of God were far from purely righteous. It is all ludicrously catchy. Every crashing drum from Roel van Helden and every driving riff from Charles and Matthew Greywolf is designed to leave the listener rejoicing in triumphant celebration.
Kyrie Klitorem (which revisits Powerwolf’s propensity for fun with their lyrics) and Heretic Hunters (complete with folk metal embellishments) further showcase the band’s ability to blend melody with metal, melding the complex with the enthralling. Attila Dorn is authoritative throughout the album and despite the obvious strengths of the band, he once again proves just how important his bombastic and charismatic vocals are to the music.
Already released single 1589 tackles the historical account of Peter Stump, a German farmer executed in that year for alleged lycanthropy, cannibalism and serial killings. 1589, face the court of force divine / Filed under torment and fire / Terminate his fate on October 28th / Sentenced a werewolf, a beast / Deep in the night, when they hunted in hatred. Dorn revels in the dark tale which ultimately portrays Stump as a tragic figure, caught in the fervour of a superstitious and vengeful society. With an almost choral chorus and instrumentation full of dramatic grandeur, Powerwolf succeed, as they have so often, in making a four-minute song sound like a much longer epic.
With relatively stripped back verses, Viva Vulgata’s orchestral choruses sound colossal and the furious stampede of title track Wake Up The Wicked is a relentless onslaught of speed and aggression. Van Heldens’s drumming is once again spectacular, with rapid-fire beats that drive the song’s frenetic pace. Joan of Arc opens with acapella harmonies and a pulsating march before exploding during the choruses. Blending power metal and progressive structures, tempo and dynamic changes sit alongside the anthemic chorus but by the end, Powerwolf are throwing every bit of grandiose swagger they have into the mix. In a similar vein, Thunderpriest and We Don’t Want Wanna Be No Saints (complete with the title sung by a children’s choir) continue the album’s seemingly endless supply of three-minute bangers.
Final track Vargamor – at three seconds under four minutes, the second longest track on the album- offers something in the way of variety. By the standards of the rest of the album, it opens in a restrained, thoughtful fashion, building more steadily and while it does not reach the tempo of the most hectic moments of Wake Up the Wicked, there is some memorable twin guitar work from the Greywolfs, and Dorn displays how much control he has over the different timbres of his voice.
On Wake Up The Wicked, Powerwolf, once again, play to their strengths and it is a classic case of if it is not broken, do not fix it. There is nothing here to convince those who care not for the tropes of power metal or indeed Powerwolf themselves to invest their time in listening but they should be commended for being true to what they believe in. Listeners keep supporting Powerwolf because they love the operatic, over the top, grandiloquence of their music and lyrics. If the success of an album can be measured by simply how entertaining it is, then Wake Up The Wicked is a triumph. Each track has a taut running time, every moment serves its purpose and highlights the band’s technical prowess and thematic consistency. At the pinnacle of their genre, Powerwolf leaves listeners breathless and enthralled. Join the pack…
Wake Up The Wicked is released on 26th July 2024
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