Review Summary: Powerwolf’s inevitable fame is starting to take form.
Power metal, is without a doubt, a very cheesy genre. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that dragon slaying themed music over layering an orchestra is going to be ridiculous, and at times childish in the sense of maturity (mainly with the themes of the music, not the song writing itself). However, very few bands can break the mold in the power metal genre to be relevant enough to follow. Obviously, the veterans of the genre, such as Blind Guardian or Stratovarius, have distinctive sounds that have made them who they are. For most power metal bands, the talents of the musicians are not in question; it is the style of producing original music. If Dragonforce did not speed up their music and craft solos that are virtually 5 minutes long they would not have the fame that they have today, they would still be squabbling in the underground for the most part. In the case of Powerwolf, the band’s brand of power metal is without a doubt original. Answer me this: how many power metal bands do you know of that has a “blackened” sound? Yes, you read that correctly: Blackened power metal. However, Powerwolf does not incorporate characteristics of real black metal into their sound. Instead, they use corpse paint as part of their imagery, anti-Christian lyrical themes, haunting keyboards, and other tasteful vampiric elements. In a way, they more or less echo the controversial image of black metal. Thus, they created some sort of originality.
Once starting
Preachers of the Night, “Amen and Attack” starts the album off with strength, along with notable improvement in the guitar leads from the Greywolf brothers. However, the song itself is a cliché in many ways: ranging from the theme and the song structure. The important part for any listener is that they can get past the first song, and if you can, you are going to be in for a treat. That is, if you have enjoyed what you have heard so far. The follow up to “Amen and Attack” is “Secrets of the Sacristy”. This song is an indefinite highlight of the album for its more traditional use of power metal elements, rather than their own brand of power metal. However, the main notice of the song is, yet again, the guitar leads put on by the Greywolf brothers.
Other notable highlights include “Cardinal Sin”, “Sacred and Wild”, “Coleus Sanctus”, and “Extatum Et Oratum”. All of which contains notable improvements in the guitar leads by the Greywolf brothers (which has been quite a surprise), and soaring operatic vocals from Attila Dorn that captivates the listener from the beginning until the end (but that’s already a dead given if you already knew, or if you were familiar with Attila’s vocals off of previous Powerwolf albums). Despite these tracks being selected as
notable highlights, the other tracks that are not mentioned in the
notable highlights category have the same amount of quality to offer as the aforementioned songs. The only reason why they do not fall into that category is mainly because there was room for improvement that they did not take up, or they just didn’t expand on an area of the song where it could have been appropriate. Don’t get me wrong or anything; the listener should be content with virtually every song off of
Preachers of the Night. That is, if you can enjoy Powerwolf for who, and what they are.
In conclusion,
Preachers of the Night is just another Powerwolf album when one looks at the broader picture, despite the enjoyable quality that it has. Is it true that Powerwolf is not exactly expanding on their current sound? Yes, it is true. However, that should not be a means of any justification to write off this album. The quality of
Preachers of the Night relies solely on its simple catchiness; there’s nothing flashy what so ever on the album, it’s just a fun listen. And when I previously said
“Powerwolf’s inevitable fame is starting to take form” in the summary, all that means is that this album will surely pick up more fans when they go back on tour. To know what I mean by that is to know what Powerwolf truly sounds like, for they have great potential within their sound. Nevertheless, there is praise for the Greywolf brothers’ improvement on their lead efforts, although they can put more effort into it if they so desire. After all, they do have that potential.
Preachers of the Night may be a simple album compromised with expected outcomes, but the album is enjoyable and possibly a guilty pleasure for some. A must listen for any power/heavy metal fans.
