POWERWOLF

POWERWOLF's recent, long-awaited and sold-out appearances in North America prove the band has the current hot hand. And when a band is on such a streak, smart business practices indicate that more product is warranted. Case in point, "Interludium", a compilation of new, rare and previously unreleased material that comes off the back of the band's 2022 "The Monumental Mass: A Cinematic Metal Event" live album and 2021 "Call Of The Wild" studio album. If a flood of POWERWOLF releases is what the market wants, then that's what it's getting.

The rub is that POWERWOLF has a rather identifiable songwriting formula from which it rarely, if ever, dares to stray. The band has proven remarkably adept at repackaging the same horror metal themes and operatic metal ideas while exciting their swelling fanbase. It's parallel to what SABATON has done for war-themed power metal. However, go back to the previous point: POWERWOLF and SABATON never fail to give their fans what they want.

Attila Dorn's pompous vocal lines are the defining factor throughout, and like SABATON, a dramatic,sing-song-y chorus is always at the beck and call. (One could argue that "Sainted by the Storm" has a little SABATON going on.) Dorn's choruses are always big and are like he's singing from the belfry for an entire town, nay, the whole world, to hear. But in the upbeat "No Prayer At Midnight", Dorn proves himself capable of fitting within a pop-like framework — should POWERWOLF ever tread such a path. However, elsewhere, cuts like "No Prayer At Midnight" and "Living On A Nightmare" are slight variations on themes POWERWOLF perfected years ago.

"Interludium" is a quality, worthy addition to POWERWOLF's expanding discography, but compilation or not, it shows that power metal bands don't take risks anymore. And given POWERWOLF's continued rise through the international metal ranks, they'd be fools to try something different anyway.