Customer Reviews

Black Flame

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There are a many great modern-day retrospective old school metal bands that are just starting to catch their groove in the new century. Top contenders include: Cage, Benedictum, Astral Doors, Winter's Bane, Icarus Witch, Pharoah, and... of course, Wolf. Some may argue that the 80's metal genre has been played out for originality, and maybe that's a given. If so, what you do with the "given" is what makes the difference, and Wolf delivers in spades (and CLAWS!) with The Black Flame.

With their new album, Wolf has tossed their hat in the ring to compete as best of the new retro. The Black Flame is a full-on metal assault from the old days, somewhere in the old-school Maiden/Priest vein (while sounding like neither) with an accelerated, modern day tempo. The high-point being that Wolf sounds original while clearly showing influences from their youth. So, don't expect any copy-cats because this band can't be described that way. It's just old school metal played the way it should be in the Year-of-Our-Lord, 2006.

The songwriting is superb at points and really good throughout, each band member standing out in their respected crafts. The singer can be a high-pitch air raid siren when he wants to be, but also delivers in a raspier, yet still melodic style reminiscent of classic 80s metal bands like Queensryche, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest. The guitar solos are frequent and blistering to the ears, the bass-lines are solid and follow their own path without straying too far, and the eclectic, and quite frenetic, drummer never stops to take a breath (without being repetitive).

The most attractive part to me is this band's eerie similarities to the obscure 80s Danish band Witchcross. My old high-school friends and I always wished Witchcross would reunite and re-capture the magic and now they have. Except, as far as I know, no one in Wolf has any connections to the guys who played in Witchcross back in the days. The fact that they are from neighboring Sweden makes me wonder. It's all Scandinavia, right?

Anyway, Wolf just keeps better with each album and with The Black Flame they've reached the upper echelon of modern metal bands. Don't miss out on this gem, one of the best albums of 2006.

I have been a Wolf fan for some time, and have the previous three CDs, but this might just be my favourite. A slight change from Evil Star, with more melody in the songs, and some nice harmony guitar, my favourite tracks at the moment are 'I will Kill Again' and 'Demon'.
It's great to see a band producing excellent heavy metal. Yes, heavy metal, but with it's own slant in the songs, enhanced by Niklas' distinctive voice. Sure the lineup has changed, but this hasn't drastically changed the signature sound.
A well produced sound completes the picture.
This is only the fourth cd from Wolf since 1999, but, unlike some bands, they have ensured that each cd is a quality release.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes quality trad heavy metal, and everyone else should at least go to the Wolf website (www.wolf,nu) and download the first track from their downloads section to see what they are missing.

wELL, WELL, WELL, Im just some old 42 year old metalhead. This sounds like Maiden,Priest,...M.Fate...some distant metal riffs in the fog.....
Wolf might just be the next biggest band in metal> I got the cd in the mail and after opening it and playing a few songs my girlfriend asked,,,
Is this an 80s metal band?....I told her they were a recent band...well she was shocked!......If you crave Number of The Beast,,,Melissa,,type albums...you will get it here......this is a godsend....or a lucifersend...of a cd.~!!!!

"The Black Flame" (2006) by Sweden's Wolf invokes the sound of several classic metal bands without sounding too much like any one of them. I hear bits of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, King Diamond, and early Metal Church. The vocals remind me most of Tony Moore on Riot's Thundersteel (1988).

The album starts with the explosive "I Will Kill Again" and ends with the excellent semi-title track "Children of the Black Flame". There aren't a lot of standout songs, but that is actually a testament to how consistently good this album is.

The production is terrific. Everything is clear and the balance between the vocals and the instruments is just right. You can hear it for yourself; at this writing "I Will Kill Again" and "The Bite" are on the Wolf (official) MySpace page.

Despite what some may claim, traditional metal never died and Wolf is ample proof of that. If you like any of the bands mentioned in the first paragraph of this review, I think you'll love playing with "The Black Flame".

5 stars

Remember when you could say you listened to heavy metal and people knew exactly what you were talking about? These days it's all about categories - black metal, death metal, progressive metal, neoclassical progressive power metal with operatic vocals and blah blah blah. Forget classifications, Sweden's Wolf plays the kind of METAL that has you raising your fist and banging your head in about 2 seconds flat. This isn't tongue-in-cheek, 3 Inches of Blood style retro metal either. Wolf (and their American counterparts in Widow, Pharaoh, and Icarus Witch) worship at the altar of METAL. Trends be damned, Wolf delivers scorching old school HEAVY METAL that pays homage to the legends - Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and the rest of the legendary NWOBHM movement while at the same time embracing the speed and energy of modern bands like Dragonforce and Children of Bodom.

The band's 2006 album The Black Flame has to be a contender for the year's best metal album. I thought their last album (Evil Star) was the band's best work, but listening to the Black Flame is like strapping yourself into the electric chair! This whole album is speed, power, fury, and straight-up metal from start to finish. It's a bit more melodic than their previous works, but it's the kind of melodic touch that just makes it easier to pound your fist and yell along (sample the song At the Graveyard and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about). This is the third near-perfect album in a row from these guys. If there's a weak moment on the Black Flame, I haven't found it.

If you like METAL and are not dead, you need to hear Wolf. If you are dead, then the Black Flame may just reanimate you!

Wow!!!! Wolf comes with another great album, full of excellent guitar work, with more melody and top notch musicianship. Check out Wolf, one of the best bands around right now!!

What?? The best metal album? Probably yes!!!!

This guy can make you almost feel the terror of these lyrics. They bring you to the stage with studio recordings. There is not a single song that isn't good and almost all are great!!

What is Iron Maiden near these guys?? I consider just history.

"The black flame" is the 4th studio album by Swedish heavy/power metal band "Wolf" originally released in 2006. Beyond their traditional metal orientation both in terms of production and image, "Wolf" also belong to the Horror metal category. Specifically their lyrical themes center on metaphysical horror, religious horror and serial killer horror, with this latter category probably being the most original songwriting.

The line up features lead singer/guitarist Niklas Stalvind, guitarist Johannes Losback bassist Mikael Goding and drummer Tobias Kellgren. While the band could be widely categorized as traditional metal, power metal or horror metal, they do place musical emphasis on instrumental melodies and choruses which are the elements that make the release memorable. The majority of the songs on "The black flame" are indeed heavy, direct and very much to the point-hence a fierce chorus. I have to say that tracks like the opener "I will kill again", "At the graveyard" and "The bite" are songs that you really can't forget once you have heard once and they do have an the intriguing songwriting will definitely draw you back to "The white flame" time and time again.

In retrospect "The white flame" was indeed the album that took "Wolf"s career to the next level, effectively shaping them a protagonist in the traditional metal and horror metal genres. If you enjoy darker heavy/power bands like "Powerfolf" and "Bloodbound" or traditional metal bands like "Enforcer" and "Cauldron", "Wolf- the white flame" is a guarantee.

These guys simply write old school metal songs that kick ass from start to finish. The entire cd has enough riffage for any headbanger to get off on and when you listen to this stuff in your car, you just want to drive fast *lol*. I love this band and only hope they continue to write in this vain for as long as they can as this is true metal. No compromises here, just in your face old school metal that sounds like home.

Old school heavy metal, but very, very goood!!!! These guys are incredible, with refreshing sound in their own, excellent guitar riffs and the vocals near perfect to this type of music. Recommended if you like the retro-heavy metal of the 80's.