Powerwolf
Preachers of the Night
Napalm Records
2013
Powerwolf, another multinational hardworking band have managed to almost meteorically rise to prominence, but no-one should put them down. They had a triad of very strong albums, an identifiable visual identity and were quite consistent with their output and managed to keep true to their sound and to their fans. They reaped the rewards of their hard work. Much more “talented” bands have managed to only remain cult status bands with 3 or 4 albums in over 25 years, because certain of the people involved in them, could never act professionally.
“Preachers of the Night” actually entered the German charts at no 1! (well in August) just like a Greek band had once claimed, and if you ever asked the actual number of copies sold, you would have laughed out, loud... when no one buys albums but is out at the beach sipping on a pina colada, a handful of metal heads are defending the faith and buying them CDs and LPs and little whatnots!
“Amen & Attack” is an impressive fast paced track, with lots of orchestral hits. It’s the lead-off single of the album and with its “whoo-ha!” short of stupid, shouts and some nice sing alongs… it’s a sure future concert classic.
“Secrets of the Sacristy” is typically, Powerwolf fare, with a half Maiden-esque riff, the usual hallelujah’s etc…. not too bad, but not exactly pelt raising... some ultra-fast sung latin passages are pretty good fun I must say… hahaha.
“Coleus Sanctus”. Hello, +eRa+ called, they want their song back... they might at least want some $$, for the opening right there, it’s a rather derivative idea from (Ameno Dorime) the rest of the song is pretty damn OK.
“Sacred & Wild” is pretty much based on the keys melody and is quite moody but good as it slows things down. As much as I like what the band, I am afraid that at some point sooner or later they will ultimately run out of good ideas, unless they decide, to slightly readjust their focus. Maybe, using more “horror” elements to enrich-en their “mythos” sources they could draw from, allowing them to increase the vocabulary and methodical ideas they could use, because they seem trapped to a certain “template” that they may have perfected, but they may need to slowly start to expand and overcome in order not to stagnate.
“Kreuzfeuer” meaning crossfire I guess, (back from when I did German for a short while ?) is a rather unspectacular, chanted/bellowed slow song that really doesn’t very much going on for it and only gets louder towards the end... plus being in German, makes it really of greater appeal to German speaking audiences.
“Cardinal Sin” is a pretty interesting piece, with some fast guitar work and seductive melodies that even has some Latin – confessional bits for added value!
“In the Name of God” (Deus Vult), at least but title must have something to do with the Knights Templar, so allegedly – it seems that the band, is already trying to figure out if they can draw inspiration from “other” secular/mystical/occult sources... at least, while it has all the sanctus/lupus and the usual malarkey, it sounds relatively “fresh” and not too tired.
“Nochnoi Dozor” however apart from a little sparkle in the chorus, does sound quite tired and trite...
“Lust for Blood” is somewhat better – even if it mainly relies mostly on the keys to convey an atmosphere. It manages to get a smart dual melody created between them and the vocals that works very well along with a late arriving guitar paean.
“Extatum Et Oratum” is really good, with a really catchy vocal line stealing the show... and finally leading to...
The “Last Of The Living Dead” actually it’s a bit taken out of the bible talking about zombies or vampires? Right... Quite entertaining I must say… it has I suppose that portion of the bible chanted in Latin, then a bit of song which is quite melodious, then silence and thunder…. and some ominous BS and I was waiting until the 7:42 and nothing happened J UGH! WTF! Seriously! It’s actually more of an atmospheric outro that lasts only 3.47 in reality… booo
The Limited Edition that comes in a luxurious digibook, also features a second CD that caries the second volume of symphonic “versions” of Powerwolf songs, by the same Russian guy that had done the first volume. The difference is that the selected songs here are all from the current album and are completely orchestral arrangements without a lead vocal. There’s “Amen and Attack”, “Coleus Sanctus”, “Kreuzfeuer” and “Cardinal Sin”. While they are not too bad, they are not something that one might listen too multiple times, so I guess in the future maybe a concert might be a preferable idea (no making offs please).
Well, for those that liked “Blood of the Saints”, Preachers of the Night” pretty much manages to follow in its footsteps without faltering one bit. The band seems to have shed its humorous early style, but I dunno if that is for better or worse. There also has been some evidence of stagnation and tiredness even, ever since the previous album, but the band seems able to cope with those for now.
It’s unfortunate that the band’s “strengths” may become also its weaknesses. They are a little “trapped” inside a certain “style” that they cannot easily break free from without betraying their “roots” and themselves, so whatever they do, with their next album they must be very careful, either it will need to be a very strong “classic” Powerwolf one or if they decide to try anything groundbreaking, “that” will also need to be VERY good, too, in order to catch on, and manage to keep their fan base interested ie, they will need a single that will be catchier than wildfire…
“Preachers of the Night” actually entered the German charts at no 1! (well in August) just like a Greek band had once claimed, and if you ever asked the actual number of copies sold, you would have laughed out, loud... when no one buys albums but is out at the beach sipping on a pina colada, a handful of metal heads are defending the faith and buying them CDs and LPs and little whatnots!
“Amen & Attack” is an impressive fast paced track, with lots of orchestral hits. It’s the lead-off single of the album and with its “whoo-ha!” short of stupid, shouts and some nice sing alongs… it’s a sure future concert classic.
“Secrets of the Sacristy” is typically, Powerwolf fare, with a half Maiden-esque riff, the usual hallelujah’s etc…. not too bad, but not exactly pelt raising... some ultra-fast sung latin passages are pretty good fun I must say… hahaha.
“Coleus Sanctus”. Hello, +eRa+ called, they want their song back... they might at least want some $$, for the opening right there, it’s a rather derivative idea from (Ameno Dorime) the rest of the song is pretty damn OK.
“Sacred & Wild” is pretty much based on the keys melody and is quite moody but good as it slows things down. As much as I like what the band, I am afraid that at some point sooner or later they will ultimately run out of good ideas, unless they decide, to slightly readjust their focus. Maybe, using more “horror” elements to enrich-en their “mythos” sources they could draw from, allowing them to increase the vocabulary and methodical ideas they could use, because they seem trapped to a certain “template” that they may have perfected, but they may need to slowly start to expand and overcome in order not to stagnate.
“Kreuzfeuer” meaning crossfire I guess, (back from when I did German for a short while ?) is a rather unspectacular, chanted/bellowed slow song that really doesn’t very much going on for it and only gets louder towards the end... plus being in German, makes it really of greater appeal to German speaking audiences.
“Cardinal Sin” is a pretty interesting piece, with some fast guitar work and seductive melodies that even has some Latin – confessional bits for added value!
“In the Name of God” (Deus Vult), at least but title must have something to do with the Knights Templar, so allegedly – it seems that the band, is already trying to figure out if they can draw inspiration from “other” secular/mystical/occult sources... at least, while it has all the sanctus/lupus and the usual malarkey, it sounds relatively “fresh” and not too tired.
“Nochnoi Dozor” however apart from a little sparkle in the chorus, does sound quite tired and trite...
“Lust for Blood” is somewhat better – even if it mainly relies mostly on the keys to convey an atmosphere. It manages to get a smart dual melody created between them and the vocals that works very well along with a late arriving guitar paean.
“Extatum Et Oratum” is really good, with a really catchy vocal line stealing the show... and finally leading to...
The “Last Of The Living Dead” actually it’s a bit taken out of the bible talking about zombies or vampires? Right... Quite entertaining I must say… it has I suppose that portion of the bible chanted in Latin, then a bit of song which is quite melodious, then silence and thunder…. and some ominous BS and I was waiting until the 7:42 and nothing happened J UGH! WTF! Seriously! It’s actually more of an atmospheric outro that lasts only 3.47 in reality… booo
The Limited Edition that comes in a luxurious digibook, also features a second CD that caries the second volume of symphonic “versions” of Powerwolf songs, by the same Russian guy that had done the first volume. The difference is that the selected songs here are all from the current album and are completely orchestral arrangements without a lead vocal. There’s “Amen and Attack”, “Coleus Sanctus”, “Kreuzfeuer” and “Cardinal Sin”. While they are not too bad, they are not something that one might listen too multiple times, so I guess in the future maybe a concert might be a preferable idea (no making offs please).
Well, for those that liked “Blood of the Saints”, Preachers of the Night” pretty much manages to follow in its footsteps without faltering one bit. The band seems to have shed its humorous early style, but I dunno if that is for better or worse. There also has been some evidence of stagnation and tiredness even, ever since the previous album, but the band seems able to cope with those for now.
It’s unfortunate that the band’s “strengths” may become also its weaknesses. They are a little “trapped” inside a certain “style” that they cannot easily break free from without betraying their “roots” and themselves, so whatever they do, with their next album they must be very careful, either it will need to be a very strong “classic” Powerwolf one or if they decide to try anything groundbreaking, “that” will also need to be VERY good, too, in order to catch on, and manage to keep their fan base interested ie, they will need a single that will be catchier than wildfire…