CoC : Wolf - Wolf : Review

Wolf - _Wolf_
(No Fashion Records, 2000)
by: Aaron McKay (7 out of 10)

Debut material here from a truly promising band. A pure and unadulterated metal barrage is what you can expect from this Swedish underground four-piece. Production a la Peter Tagtgren at the Abyss Studios. Clean vocal work, sounding -very- eighties, on Niklas Olsson's part, who also picks up the second guitar responsibility. The group is rounded out by Henrik Johansson on guitar, Daniel Bergkvist with drum duties and Mikael Goding filling the bill on bass guitar. To be honest, I didn't expect something this "clean" from No Fashion. I'm used to more of the Ablaze My Sorrow, Allegiance, Lord Belial and Mork Gryning material on the label, so Wolf was a welcome surprise. A class metal effort here reminding me, at times, of a very raw and stripped Helloween, but better in many regards. Personal favorites on the release include "The Voyage", track five, and the little bit of feedback and transition passages of "In the Eyes of the Sun", track nine, are brilliant. The aptitude of this band is staggering and, at forty minutes in length, I figure it is time pretty well spent.

(article published 12/8/2000)