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Wolfchant

Determined Damnation

Written by: EW on 01/05/2010 00:50:02

Folkified paganised metal is all the rage these days, with Germans Wolfchant being one of many striving to make it into the big league and get those much vaunted festival spots, when we all know that under the summer sun and with our bodies full of beer such a kind music never fails to hit the spot. Here on their third album, "Determined Damnation", Wolfchant have made a pretty good attempt at honing their Ensiferum, Turisas and oddly, In Flames, influences into a coherent and largely enjoyable record.

At 61 minutes and 13 songs of a similar mid-length territory after the obligatory introduction Wolfchant could do with trimming the package a little and focusing more on inter-song variation as the feeling of having heard it before becomes too hard to ignore come the end. However this doesn't stop "Until The End", “Never Too Drunk” and the title track from reveling in singalong status where the growled vocal melodies intertwine nicely with the leading guitar (which we'll let off for sounding slightly out of key, heh?). Of the A List bands Ensiferum are the strongest comparator, due mainly to the frequent usage of well-worked choral vocal sections, but don't read that as an exact soundalike; the likes of Black Messiah and Varg in the lower leagues are Wolfchant's brothers in style and substance, all mere numbers helping bolster the strong folk metal scene of today.

Note too must be made of the band's daring usage of the EXACT same "Raining Blood" riff in the opening to "Kein Engel Hört Dich Flehen", mainly for giving me no lack of amusement. Any bands reading this: if you're going to plagiarise, better off not doing it with one of metal's all-time classic riffs! The safe production job and lack of any virtuoso riffs do severely hamper the band's ability to sound unique in any way, but on the whole "Determined Damnation" is no bad album and one that will at least earn a future spin where the moment calls for a jig and a drink in the sun.

Download: Determined Damnation, Never Too Drunk, Kein Engel Hört Dich Flehen
For the fans of: Ensiferum, Black Messiah
Listen: Myspace

Release date 24.04.2009
Massacre Records