DEATH WOLF hails from Sweden and is releasing their second album, “II, Black Armoured Death.” The band was founded by Morgan Harkansson, who also plays in the death metal band Marduk. For a decade, DEATH WOLF went by a different name and was essentially a Misfits cover band. At some point, however, they realized they wanted to do more than just cover songs. Thus, they renamed themselves DEATH WOLF and developed their own sound, which reaches its provisional perfection on this album.
Not only the cover but also the sound, the vocals, everything is dark. It is clear that the band members have their roots in death and thrash metal, but there are also punk and crust influences to be heard. This is particularly evident in fast tracks like “World Serpent” or the pounding “Black Armoured Death” (thrash metal-punk noise-crust at its best).
However, the thirteen-song album is by no means just an album that charges forward quickly and darkly. The album particularly shines where the tracks exceed the 4-minute mark. In these songs, the sound is slow, heavy, ominous, dark, and frightening. Despite this, it does not venture into the epic realms of gothic, but the varied vocals, the heavy, driving melodies, and the dark sound look towards this genre. However, the band would rather name the home of these songs in doom. The sound is too pronounced and too metal-heavy to genuinely approach gothic. Peeking over one’s own fence into foreign darkness may be intriguing, but ultimately the band remains true to themselves and their sound.
Overall, the album is very diverse and particularly unfolds its own aura during the long, dark winter nights we are currently experiencing.
With “Black Armoured Death,” DEATH WOLF presents a work that is evil, dark, and fascinating at the same time.
