I'm a sucker for anything werewolf related, so you can imagine my excitement when I got wind of the latest release from Sweden's Grand Magus, titled Wolf God. After all, I've followed this band for nearly a decade, and have always liked their brand of doomy classic/epic metal, and paired up with a cool werewolf on the album cover, it sounded like a winning combination. For the most part that is the case here. Grand Magus haven't exactly hit it out of the park on their last few studio outings, and though none of them have been bad by any means, the lofty heights of Hammer of the North and Iron Will have not been matched. Wolf God isn't stylistically much different from its predecessors, guitarist/vocalist Janne "JB" Christoffersson still doing a fine job delivering some mighty riffs, stinging solos, and potent vocals, evident on epic sounding tracks such as "A Hall Clad in Gold", "Wolf God", and the face melting metal attack of "To Live and Die in Solitude". "Glory to the Brave" has a nice doomy vibe which is sure to please any headbanger, and "Untamed" is pure old school metal, images of vintage Manowar as well as newcomers Visigoth popping up along the way.
As with Sword Songs, Triumph and Power, and The Hunt, Wolf God is a solid album of epic heavy metal that pushes most of the right buttons. Groundbreaking it isn't, but it still is mighty enjoyable and well worth a listen for any loyal headbanger out there.
Track Listing
01. Gold and Glory
02. Wolf God
03. A Hall Clad in Gold
04. Brother of the Storm
05. Dawn of Fire
06. Spear Thrower
07. To Live and Die in Solitude
08. Glory to the Brave
09. He Sent Them All to Hel
10. Untamed
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