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Track Listing: Agnus Dei (Intro) Sanctified With Dynamite We Drink Your Blood Murder At Midnight All We Need Is Blood Dead Boys Don't Cry Son of a Wolf Night of the Werewolves Phantom of the Funeral Die, Die, Crucified Ira Sancti (When the Saints Are Going Wild)

German power metal warriors Powerwolf are set to release their fourth studio album 'Blood Of The Saints' this August on Metal Blade records. Based on the success of their previous album "Bible Of The Beast", the expectations are high, and not only has the band met those but also have been able to outdo themselves. They recorded this album in as many as five different studios, and even a 13th century church which was used to record the choir segments. So the effort they've put into this album is second to none, and the music definitely reflects that to a large extent.

The "Agnus Dei" intro gives way to "Sanctified With Dynamite", a symphonic yet heavy tune dominated by Attila Dorn's incredibly pristine vocals. You can certainly feel the biblical themes the album is based on, and with a chorus that's easy enough to sing along, this should turn out to be a crowd pleaser in live shows. "We Drink Your Blood" has more of an epic, 'fist in the air' type of feel to it, specially because of the chorus. In addition to that, the keyboard-guitar combination gives it grandeur. "Murder At Midnight" continues along a similar vein although it's a little more up-tempo and includes a semblance of a guitar solo.

While all the tunes so far have largely centered around Attila Dorn's vocals, "All We Need Is Blood" showcases some of the double-bass drumming that's typical of power metal, while still keeping the epic, symphonic touch that characterizes this album. "Dead Boys Don't Cry" is perhaps the most melodic tune on the entire album and for that reason it's my favorite. This is one song I'll definitely hit 'repeat' for. The guitar-keyboard harmony in the style of bands like Children Of Bodom is something I enjoy immensely, and I'm extremely glad to hear Powerwolf incorporate some of that. In contrast, the vocals in "Son Of A Wolf" bring back the epic atmosphere, backed by solid musicianship from Attila's band mates. "Night Of The Werewolves" stays consistent to the album's overall style, but the highly enjoyable guitar solo gives it an identity of its own, a solo that is sure to induce some air-guitar in the audience. To add even further punch, the twin guitar harmony brings it to a terrific end. The next two tracks "Phantom Of The Funeral", "Die, Die, Crucified" present yet more epic vocals decorated with nicely crafted guitar parts and turn out to be very full-sounding tunes. But despite all of this brilliance, the best has certainly been saved for the last, with the glorious masterpiece "Ira Sancti" bringing the album to a close. No amount of words can do justice to this song anyway, so all I'd say is, give it a listen to find out for yourself.

Overall, power metal fans should have every reason to pick up this album, as it should end up being one of the finest power metal albums of the year, and definitely Powerwolf's most outstanding effort till date. It should result in plenty of chorus sing-alongs, raised fists, banging heads and air-guitaring fingers around the world all summer long. After listening to this album a few times, I'm already eager to see the band perform some of it live, and I can assure you that you'll feel the same way once you listen to this. Even though my favorite tracks at this point are "We Drink Your Blood", "Dead Boys Don't Cry", "Night Of The Werewolves" and "Ira Sancti", I think the songs flow together very well, which perhaps is an indicator of the great job they've done in coming up with the perfect track order, a crucial aspect of any good album. The musicians themselves have done absolutely no harm to their collective reputation, and have stamped their foot on the European metal scene by putting forth a composition as glorious as this one.

A compelling opus! \m/

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