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Theatrics and metal music have always had something of a unique relationship, and how well the marriage works depends largely on one not supplanting the other. A band with getup as out there as King Diamond had better be telling some pretty creepy ghost stories, lest one wonder what the hell is up with all the ridiculous face paint and flowing black capes. Perhaps the most successful marriage of really stripped down songwriting, as opposed to the complex conceptual feats often associated with an elaborate costume, is that of Alice Cooper, who was able to keep it simple and short (at first because that was expected of anyone looking to make it in the business) and still make time to creep people out with horrific visuals to accompany the music. Powerwolf tends to resemble the old time hard rock guru more so than most of the 80s metallic spawn of this variety, and no more is this the case than in their extremely stripped down debut album.
We will simply be content to ignore the goofy idiots who insist that we not take a band with this image seriously (who the hell would?) and get right down to the nitty-gritty. “Return In Bloodred” is a collection of songs, nothing more and nothing less. The influences are generally localized to the earliest fringes of the 80s, even going so far as to outright avoid the speed metal influences that Judas Priest and Rainbow had gradually brought into the equation. Comparisons could instantly be made to a number of horror influenced bands with a slight propensity for partying such as Demon, Diamond Head and Hell. Comparisons to the early Dickinson-era Iron Maiden albums wouldn’t be entirely out of the equation either, though there aren’t any galloping semi-speeders to speak of on here either. To put it another way, for a mid-2000s German power metal album, this thing has an oddly strong British flavor to it, and Attila Dorn’s massive operatic tenor plays pretty strongly into this.
But for all of the early metal clichés and the outlandish stage attire, this is some solid metal with a noticeably modern production job. The chief thing that makes this a slightly unique beast is the heavy usage of keyboards, particularly that church-like Hammond organ sound that Edguy became enamored with on “Theater Of Salvation”. This lone element, married to Dorn’s solid vocal delivery, turns mundane would be rock anthems like “We Came To Take Your Souls” and “Demons And Diamond” (two songs that could almost be Twisted Sister fare) into haunting songs that command instant memory retention. The biggest flaw of this album actually turns out to be that it’s just a bit too catchy, and plays it so safe that it seems not to go very far. “Kiss Of The Cobra King” sounds almost like it could have been on an Offspring album if it lacked the keyboard aesthetic, was a bit faster, and had a whinier vocalist. The only thing on here that really breaks out of the traditional format is the closer “Son Of The Morning Star”, which is more of an extended ending with a lot of spoken narration and keyboard sounds than an actual song.
Whether it is freshman inexperience or just a different target audience at the time, this album seems a bit overly interested in appealing to older metal fans, which is in a fairly noticeable contrast to everything else they’ve done since. It’s the sort of album that totally kicks your ass for the first 4 or 5 songs, and then begins to run out of steam as the albums reveals its 100% formulaic nature and almost one-dimensional genre niche. But for the rocking, stomping brilliance of “Black Mass Hysteria” and the quirky theatrics and Eastern music influences of “Montecore” it is something that any self-respecting fan of early metal should check out. Just don’t expect anything resembling “Fast As A Shark” or “Exciter”, something that most tend to associate with power metal from this sector of Europe.
We will simply be content to ignore the goofy idiots who insist that we not take a band with this image seriously (who the hell would?) and get right down to the nitty-gritty. “Return In Bloodred” is a collection of songs, nothing more and nothing less. The influences are generally localized to the earliest fringes of the 80s, even going so far as to outright avoid the speed metal influences that Judas Priest and Rainbow had gradually brought into the equation. Comparisons could instantly be made to a number of horror influenced bands with a slight propensity for partying such as Demon, Diamond Head and Hell. Comparisons to the early Dickinson-era Iron Maiden albums wouldn’t be entirely out of the equation either, though there aren’t any galloping semi-speeders to speak of on here either. To put it another way, for a mid-2000s German power metal album, this thing has an oddly strong British flavor to it, and Attila Dorn’s massive operatic tenor plays pretty strongly into this.
But for all of the early metal clichés and the outlandish stage attire, this is some solid metal with a noticeably modern production job. The chief thing that makes this a slightly unique beast is the heavy usage of keyboards, particularly that church-like Hammond organ sound that Edguy became enamored with on “Theater Of Salvation”. This lone element, married to Dorn’s solid vocal delivery, turns mundane would be rock anthems like “We Came To Take Your Souls” and “Demons And Diamond” (two songs that could almost be Twisted Sister fare) into haunting songs that command instant memory retention. The biggest flaw of this album actually turns out to be that it’s just a bit too catchy, and plays it so safe that it seems not to go very far. “Kiss Of The Cobra King” sounds almost like it could have been on an Offspring album if it lacked the keyboard aesthetic, was a bit faster, and had a whinier vocalist. The only thing on here that really breaks out of the traditional format is the closer “Son Of The Morning Star”, which is more of an extended ending with a lot of spoken narration and keyboard sounds than an actual song.
Whether it is freshman inexperience or just a different target audience at the time, this album seems a bit overly interested in appealing to older metal fans, which is in a fairly noticeable contrast to everything else they’ve done since. It’s the sort of album that totally kicks your ass for the first 4 or 5 songs, and then begins to run out of steam as the albums reveals its 100% formulaic nature and almost one-dimensional genre niche. But for the rocking, stomping brilliance of “Black Mass Hysteria” and the quirky theatrics and Eastern music influences of “Montecore” it is something that any self-respecting fan of early metal should check out. Just don’t expect anything resembling “Fast As A Shark” or “Exciter”, something that most tend to associate with power metal from this sector of Europe.
Apr 04, 2005.New subscribers only. Plan automatically renews after trial. More ways to shop: Visit an Apple Store, call 1-800-MY-APPLE, or find a reseller.
Return in Bloodred | |||
---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | |||
Released | 4 April 2005 | ||
Recorded | September 2004 | ||
Studio | Studio Fredman, Gothenburg, Sweden | ||
Genre | |||
Length | 40:00 | ||
Label | Metal Blade Records (Europe) | ||
Producer | Fredrik Nordström | ||
Powerwolf chronology | |||
|
Return in Bloodred is the first full-length studio album by the Germanpower metal band Powerwolf, released in 2005.
History[edit]
First songs for the album, such as 'Mr. Sinister' and 'We Came to Take Your Souls', which were completed in the first session, were written in June 2004.[1]
The album was recorded within eight days[2] in September 2004 in Studio Fredman. The drummer Stéfane Funèbre had to be temporarily replaced by Tom Diener during the recording due to a tendonitis.[3]
The album was re-released in 2014 as part of the box setThe History of Heresy I along with the album Lupus Dei and a DVD of a performance at the Wacken Open Air 2008.
Themes[edit]
'Mr. Sinister' was the first song Powerwolf had ever written; this served as a guide for the style they appropriated. The text is about Vlad II Dracul, the father of Dracula.[4]
'We Came to Take Your Souls' tells about a war between Romania and the Ottoman Empire under Vlad III Dracula.[4]
'Kiss of the Cobra King' tells a story about a wolf, which fights against a snake.[5][6] The story is about the war between Romania and the Ottoman Empire that was already being dealt with in We Came to Take Your Souls. According to older interviews, this is an old Romanian legend; the biography of The History of Heresy I, on the other hand, claims that the idea arose during a rehearsal session when Attila Dorn ordered a pop-up pop group to be quiet, otherwise they would be 'bitten by the Cobra King.'[1]
'Demons & Diamonds' criticizes the impact of the pursuit of power and wealth.[1][6]
'Montecore' is about the white tiger, who in 2003 had seriously injured the magician Roy Horn.[4]
'The Evil Made Me Do It' and 'Lucifer in Starlight' have strong influences of the doom metal and are a tribute to Black Sabbath.[1] 'Lucifer in Starlight' deals with the fascination for the devil.
'Son of the Morning Star' does not include guitar, drums or bass unlike the rest of the album. In addition to Attila's singing only organ sounds are used. Lyrically, the song describes the biblicalapocalypse.[5]
Track listing[edit]
All tracks are written by Matthew Greywolf, Charles Greywolf, Attila Dorn, Falk Maria Schlegel and Stéfane Funèbre.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | 'Mr. Sinister' | 4:39 |
2. | 'We Came to Take Your Souls' | 4:01 |
3. | 'Kiss of the Cobra King' | 4:32 |
4. | 'Black Mass Hysteria' | 4:12 |
5. | 'Demons & Diamonds' | 3:39 |
6. | 'Montecore' | 5:19 |
7. | 'The Evil Made Me Do It' | 3:39 |
8. | 'Lucifer in Starlight' | 4:49 |
9. | 'Son of the Morning Star' | 4:10/5:10 |
Total length: | 40:00 |
The History Of Heresy I (2014 Bonus Tracks) | ||
---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length |
10. | 'Mr. Sinister (Live)' | 5:38 |
11. | 'We Came to Take Your Souls (Live)' | 4:08 |
12. | 'Kiss of the Cobra King (Live)' | 5:26 |
Total length: | 54:02 |
Note: After the last track, 'Son of the Morning Star', there is roughly a minute of silence.
Personnel[edit]
Powerwolf
Additional musicians
| Technical personnel
Other personnel
|
References[edit]
- ^ abcd'Metalspheres Fanzine - Interview , Powerwolf'. www.metalspheres.de. Retrieved 2019-08-26.
- ^'Get Ready to ROCK! Interview with Matthew Greywolf of heavy metal rock band Powerwolf'. www.getreadytorock.com. Retrieved 2019-08-26.
- ^Book: The History of Heresy I
- ^ abc'POWERWOLF: King Diamond? Wer ist das? • Interviews • vampster.com'. vampster.com (in German). 2005-05-05. Retrieved 2019-08-26.
- ^ ab'Mementos for http://www.metal.de/heavy-metal/interview/powerwolf/36208-interview-mit-matthew-greywolf-zu-return-in-bloodred/ around 2010-01-01: http://mementoweb.org/list/20150803001358/http://www.metal.de/heavy-metal/interview/powerwolf/36208-interview-mit-matthew-greywolf-zu-return-in-bloodred/ #memento -'. timetravel.mementoweb.org. Retrieved 2019-08-26.External link in
|title=
(help) - ^ ab'Powerwolf'. Twilight magain (in German). Retrieved 2019-08-26.
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