A POWER METAL WOLF IN A RETRO METAL SHEEP’S CLOTHING

A little bit of re-branding can go a long way in metal; “power metal” couldn’t be any farther out of fashion in the metal climate of 2011, but NWOBHM revival / retro / “trad metal” acts are totally in. Both types of bands play the same Judas Priest and Iron Maiden-inspired riffs; one has slicked up production and a spiffed up image while the other’s ripped jean jackets, leather wristbands and lack of keyboards compliment their seemingly “dirtier” musical aesthetic. Voila, re-branding; put the same music in a different package and what once was not cool suddenly is.

I had this realization whilst watching the new video from Sweden’s Wolf at Heavy Blog is Heavy. There are plenty of qualities that differentiate Wolf from Gamma Ray, Edguy, Primal Fear or any one of a number of other German power metal bands, but the music itself certainly isn’t one of them. Still, you’d be a lot more likely to see this band on tour with White Wizzard or Graveyard than Hammerfall. Not that this is a bad thing, because I like power metal. But let’s just call a spade a spade when we see it.

-VN