Teutonic power metallers refuse to go into standby mode

Powerwolf: remember, they’re lupine, not supine

Interludium

NAPALM

WHEN IS AN album not an album? The so-called “Easter offering” from German heavy metallers Powerwolf is partly a look into the future, with six brand-new songs, and partly a recognition of their past in the form of various rarities. With such an on-the-nose title as Interludium it’s not exactly trying to hide its purpose, which is to tide fans over with a sort-of album until a release of all-new material. That’s not something the band take lightly, as the live and covers album - in which their peers record versions of their songs, not the other way around – they released last year shows. In fact, Interludium has such an album included as a bonus disc in most editions, on which they have once again enlisted the likes of Electric Callboy, Annisokay, Ad Infinitum and Rage to give their take on Powerwolf songs.

With that in mind, Interludium does exactly what it says on the tin. Where Powerwolf are at sonically 18 months on from Call Of The Wild is hardly a deviation from their tried and tested formula. From the outset, Wolves Of War is as massive, rousing and cinematic as anything off their last record, but with a folk-metal slant. In true Powerwolf style, a layer of raucous chants in the mix give each new track the feel of a battle anthem; the galloping rhythms and incandescent organ lend songs like Wolfborn a sense of potent urgency, while the bombastic drum intro on Sainted By The Storm is pure arena metal. It’s all stuff you could imagine singing along to, but it’s very much Powerwolf’s usual shtick, and, with the inclusion of B-sides that include a French version of Beast Of Gevaudan – Bête du Gévaudan – it could be seen as an indulgence for diehard fans, or simply an act of breadcrumbing.