Wolf – Legions of Bastards

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Wolf have been gaining success since The Black Flame in 2006, earning themselves headlining shows all over Europe with Ravenous in 2009, and now trying to maintain that with another new album after just two years. Ravenous was a little by-the-book, so they should be looking to expand themselves on this release. But initially it would seem that with Legions of Bastards the sharp edge has gone, replaced with a rather ordinary melodic metal leaning on all the riffs and choruses, while Niklas Stålvind’s vocals have become strained and croaky, getting nowhere close to the high-pitched tones on albums like The Black Flame, which remains the band’s finest hour. But after three throw-away tracks in Skull Crusher, Vicious Companions and Full Moon Possession, things get interesting. Jekyll & Hyde is a real gem. A dirty, grooving Overkill-ish track with sinister vocals. It’s a real departure for Wolf, and a real success. The jagged riffs of Absinthe are another very different sound for the band, and while not as positive as Jekyll & Hyde, they can still be considered a successful experiment. The grooving continues with outstanding riffs on Nocturnal Rites and Tales From The Crypt, but after this mid-section of new ideas and great riffs things take a drastic step backwards to the disposable speed-metal of the first three tracks. The middle of the album contains some of their best tracks to date, to go alongside the cream of their fast songs (almost all of which are on The Black Flame), but rest just dutifully follows the stock Wolf template with less interesting, less metallic riffs and weaker vocals. And unfortunately the bad outweighs the good.

Written by Andy Lye
More: 2011, Albums, Heavy Metal, Quick.Play Reviews, Wolf