Powerwolf
Preachers of the Night (Napalm Records)
release date: 7/19/2013
by Scott Hefflon
If this is running with Witchery’s cheeky takes on classic metal titles, adapting Kiss’ Creatures of the Night to Preachers of the Night, that’s funny. Or, if it’s serious and straightforward, it’s kinda dopey. But Powerwolf is multilayered powermetal, so neither’d surprise anyone. The opening seconds of “Amen & Attack” get the choirs chanting, the chugging guitars a-chugging, the double bass rampaging, and establish the predictable fading delay of “Attack! Attack! Attack!” Part Blind Guardian layering, part Hammerfall thunder, with Attila’s likable vocals singing kinda simply on-the-beat. Five albums deep, German engineered, favoring face paint and facial hair over frilly shirts and tasseled boots.
(www.napalmrecords.com)