Powerwolf

Civil War – The Last Full Measure Review

Civil War – The Last Full Measure Review

Copycatting is behavior generally reserved for little twerps on a mulch-surfaced playground at recess (and only slightly less annoying than asking “Why?” non-stop). Imitation naturally extends to metal as well, though it typically has to transcend influence and homage into rank apery before bands get a strike against them. Even blatant mimicry can earn a […]

Powerwolf – Blessed & Possessed Review

Powerwolf – Blessed & Possessed Review

“Hot on the lashing tail of the cheesiest of Sharknado films, Powerwolf return with another wolfnado of larger than life proportions. I’m told it’s supposed to be a humdinger, boasting some of the finest power metal, speed, hard rock and unholy orchestra contributions, and Powerwolf kept this firecracker under wraps for near on two years before unleashing it on the unsuspecting public.” Where are you when we need you, Tara Reid?

Madam X’s Top Ten(ish) of 2013

Madam X’s Top Ten(ish) of 2013

“Wow, what a year! A large portion of 2013 has had me working my ass off in preparation for my stint out at sea with 70,000 Tons of Pure Fucking METAL! I’ve tried to curtail my excitement, but fuck it, this is huge – Carcass, Septicflesh, Finntroll, Overkill… what more could a girl ask for?” As Madam X shamelessly drops free plugs for a certain novelty cruise line, she also delivers her best albums of the year. That lady can multi-task!

Hell – Curse and Chapter Review

Hell – Curse and Chapter Review

“There’s an interesting history behind Hell. As a part of the original NWoBHM, they were close to releasing an album alongside contemporaries like Saxon and Iron Maiden, but bad luck and personal tragedy brought them low and derailed their best laid plans. Though they never made it past the demo stage, they were influential in the scene and championed by folks like producer and former Sabbat guitarist Andy Sneap. So taken with their old demos was he, that he encouraged the members to reform and give it another go with him on guitar, which resulted in 2011s Human Remains opus. That platter featured some ancient tunes loaded with NWoBHM flair and a noticeable Mercyful Fate influence, and while the music was highly enjoyable, I struggled mightily with the delivery of front man David Bower, which was overdone, uber-theatrical and at times, very cheeseball parmesan.” Now that they’ve had some time to sort things out, can Hell deliver some metal for the ages or are they still suffering from Drama Overload Disorder? Steel Druhm has the prognosis.

Record(s) o’ the Month – July 2013

Record(s) o’ the Month – July 2013

For those of you unaware, July is always the slowest month for releases. This has to do with the fact that major labels basically shut down for the festival season, releasing live records and DVDs, but rarely new albums. In fact, I suspect that only shitty records get released during this period by most record labels; though that is entirely speculation. In any case, July tends to be a bit of a weak month and 2013 is a weak year, so that doesn’t say a lot for any possible Record o’ the Month right now. Still, that might be a bit misleading, as we had a few records that came out in July that were worth your time. One in particular blew away the competition…

Powerwolf – Preachers of the Night Review

Powerwolf – Preachers of the Night Review

“Who’s up for a wolfnado? Hit play, go on I dare you… The wolf-pack’s back and as luck would have it I freed up just in time to safely prise Preachers of the Night from Mr Druhm’s steely, far too cynical grip! For those of you that don’t already know and love Powerwolf’s brand of heavy or power metal they go for your throat with canines bared. Locking on with the speed and catchiness of HammerFall (Glory to the Brave era), with uncomplicated melodies, simple riffing and hugely delivered, shout-along choruses similar to those of Sabaton all the while capturing some of the atmosphere of King Diamond.” Madam X made damn sure Steel Druhm didn’t review this because he has a Powerwolf hunting permit. But can even she stomach all the theatrics and silliness that comes with a release from these overacting hurricanines?

Powerwolf – Blood of the Saints Review

Powerwolf – Blood of the Saints Review

German power metal/freak show act Powerwolf have been perplexing me since their 2005 debut. All corpse painted up and evil looking, they look like a black metal band but actually play sub-par power metal with traditional metal elements and coat the whole thing with cheesy theatrics and goofball pomp. I attempted to get into what they were doing on several occasions due to the buzz they were receiving but aside from a few scattered tracks, it was rough going. To me they always seemed generic and silly, though I appreciated their zest and zeal for entertaining. With this back-history, I naturally chose to approach their fourth album, Blood of the Saints with muted expectations. As usual, Steel Druhm is proven wise indeed. Blood of the Saints is arguably Powerwolf’s best release thus far and packs several amusing and respectable songs, albeit, still laden with cheese and cheap theatrics. However, as a whole, its still the same Powerwolf product and that can’t lead too far down the road to the land of 5.0. For every decent song, there’s an equally painful one and a few are just laughable. While I know they don’t take themselves too seriously, sometimes silly is too silly and that’s the case here more often than not.