Valkyrian Music

Powerwolf
The Sacrament of Sin
Released 20th July 2018
Power Metal
Released via Napalm Records

The German wolfpack have returned. Even before hearing the music I had to take a few minutes just to admire the album title – ‘The Sacrament of Sin’. How ironic, ludicrous, perhaps even blasphemous, yet so very typical of Powerwolf. Ever since discovering this band I’ve always liked their song titles. Unlike their Swedish brethren Sabaton, these guys like to add some humor to their lyrics. You won’t find too many epic tales inspired by historical events in their songs but there will be werewolves, other horror themes, references to religion, theatrical and grandiose vocals that occasionally mimic a church choir.

Let’s start with my favorites, the songs that have been in my head for weeks even before the album was released thanks to the videos. My personal favorite Fire & Forgive is just classic Powerwolf doing what they do best. Catchy chorus, check. Bombastic orchestration, powerful vocals and ultra catchy guitar riffs, check. Latin chants and church music in the background, hell yes! Fire away guys! Then there’s the fabulously titled Demons Are A Girl’s Best Friend. To call the lyrics cheesy would be a gross understatement. They’re not even cheesy, they are syrupy, dripping with ultra sweet, sticky ‘wickedness’. As with anything sweet it would probably be better in small doses but who can resist the temptation? Oh, and the video; I haven’t seen anything as ridiculously funny since Blutengel’s ‘Reich Mir Dir Hand’. Yet laugh as I may, every time I hear it or watch the video it doesn’t change the fact that I still find myself singing along and playing it repeatedly.

There were a few moments on here where the music reminded me of Sabaton. Incense & Iron is an example of this, not just because of the lyrics such as “Stand, Follow the fight..”
It’s also war-themed and keyboard driven and features a touch of folk metal due to the bagpipe sounds. The only surprise comes in the form of a piano ballad called Where The Wild Wolves Have Gone. This not unusual for Powerwolf; they have made songs like this before, but on this album it definitely stands out due to the slower pace and overall style.

Overall, I have really enjoyed ‘The Sacrament of Sin’. There isn’t a song on here that I dislike though some are more memorable than others. It’s more consistent than their previous album and it is up there with their best works. Powerwolf fans will be pleased and if you’re new to the band this works as a good introduction.

4.5/5

Iza Raittila

This entry was posted on 24th July 2018 at 8:04 pm and is filed under Uncategorized with tags Power Metal, Powerwolf. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.