This mostly Indiana-based three piece made
up of mostly former members of the black metal act Maax (currently on hiatus)
have decided to add some modernization into their decidedly blackened sound
with this self-titled debut. Bits of groove, thrash and even melodic death
metal have gone into this concoction, making it suitable for fans of everyone
from Lamb Of God to latter-era Immortal and even Amon Amarth. Jeff Mason (bass)
pumps in the grooves, while Brett Schlagel (guitars) seems to tackle all of the
hard-hitting riffs and melodic tremolos. On the vocal end is a rather gruff
sounding fellow by the name of Tim Green, who offers the kind of roughnecked
approach to the mic as you’d expect, had you seen him in person. The drums are
programmed, but I can’t even notice one hint of error there and it works for
me. Technology is truly wondrous.
These guys obviously aren’t trying to go
for any sort of black metal kvlt status, especially when you have cuts like
“MPFF” which is more or less a Pantera-fueled thrash and groove effort with
bits of hardcore. Then again, we have pieces like “At the Sixth Foot”,
“Whatever Demons” and “Eternal Lies” which alternatively sound much closer to
black metal than you’d expect. “Eternal Lies” in particular gave me a rather
chilly feel, but like “At the Sixth Foot” I could still hear pieces of that
early Amon Amarth (Once Sent From the
Golden Hall) sound embedded within it and that’s what made this debut stick
out. Skeleton Wolf is a record where
you can pretty much ascertain that these guys have got their chops down, they
know what kind of sound they’re going for and they for the most part, achieve
it. I’d certainly say that while “MPFF” might make a great pit anthem, the
closer “Forever Awake” is worth it’s weight in gold, purely due to it’s awesome
melodies.
The listener might be surprised to see that
they’re actually getting quite a bit of what I could consider memorable
melodies, whether those be of the more Norwegian or Swedish variety, as Green’s
performance fits this formula perfectly. And yes, there are even some solo cuts
that I couldn’t help but mention. Not only does Schlagel show that he can craft
some terrific leads, but that he can light up the sky just as well as any other
guitarist worth their salt. Schlagel’s actually a rather skilled axeman and the
very heart of this project. You can tell that he put a lot of work into these
compositions, and while the Maax stuff might not have been wonderously praised
on Metal Archives; (both releases sit roughly in the seventies) this more
modern and I’m assuming less restrained (I haven’t heard the Maax records)
approach might be the best thing he’s got going for him at present. Skeleton Wolf a record that I wouldn’t
mind playing again and again, where every song seems to hit it’s mark and
doesn’t leave me quickly bored. I’ve always been a fan of black metal, but I
love when it’s mixed along with other things. Some bands fail miserably at this
approach, while others greatly succeed. Skeleton Wolf is a pure example of the
latter, which is why I highly recommend checking this one out. Love or hate it,
it sounds good to me.
(7 Tracks)
9/10
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