Wolf - Hour Of The Wolf Wolf

Formed in Sweden in 1995, WOLF was among the first bands to resurrect and rejuvenate the traditional heavy metal sound in the '90s, when the genre was considered dead.

Inspired by classic heavy metal bands from the '70s and '80s, WOLF laid the groundwork for the genre's triumphant return in subsequent years. Over the course of their nine albums, the band has been seen by many as the originators of the new wave of traditional heavy metal. Their upcoming tenth album, „Hour of the Wolf“, will be released on November 20th, and is an uncompromising release that stays true to the band’s roots while expanding the sound of classic heavy metal. WOLF has never tried to sound modern, or even retro, and has proven time and again that they follow no trends. They simply stick to their vision of what heavy metal should be. "We wanted to make an album that could fit on one side of a 90-minute cassette tape, just like the albums used to back in the day. Our goal was to create an album that you would want to listen to from start to finish and then play again. I think we accomplished that," comments vocalist and guitarist Niklas Stålvind on the nine new tracks. „It’s diverse enough without losing the classic Wolf sound.“ Everything about WOLF is authentic.

Thomas Holm, who created most of the previous WOLF front covers as well as iconic artworks like „Don’t Break the Oath“ and „Melissa“ (MERCYFUL FATE) and „Abigail“ and „Them“ (KING DIAMOND), once again created the eye-catching artwork. "I told him the album title, the song titles, and the mood of the album. The oil paintings are his visual interpretations of our music. His work is the antidote to the increasingly common AI "art." We are the real deal, and we want the real deal," states the frontman. WOLF keeps it in the family. They recorded the entire album in their own studios and bassist Pontus Egberg took on the role as producer. "We're fortunate to have so much talent in the band. We don't need to outsource anything," says the vocalist. He adds, "Pontus is a very good musician, and he's much more structured than I am. That gave me the freedom to focus more on the artistic side of it all." Egberg’s part, who joined WOLF in 2019, becomes more important than ever. The bassist, who is also a member of KING DIAMOND a.o. is more than happy with the organic result: ”Throughout the whole production process Niklas and I had a very close collaboration, blurting ideas back and forth that I then tried to realize in the mix and the stellar performances from Johan, Simon and Niklas made the production flow very smoothly.” The lyrical inspiration is totally varied and could come from books, movies, or imagined stories. "I want to write entertaining songs. Often, I see images in my mind from the music and lyrics. I try not to get in the way of the music and let the songs take me for a ride," explains Stålvind, who founded the band in 1995. The title track „Hour of the Wolf“ is the perfect example: "Pontus sent me a demo with most of the music for 'Hour of the Wolf,' and I instantly got images in my head. I live far out in the Swedish countryside and have a Scandinavian forest right outside my door. I take walks in the forest almost every day. There’s a certain feeling on a starlit winter night or an early autumn morning, with the fog rolling in over the fields. I think that inspired me the most for that song.” "Hour of the Wolf" is the tenth studio album by the quartet and 110% WOLF. "We've maintained our musical vision for over 30 years, and we're thrilled that people enjoy our work. We have developed a lot but stayed true to the Wolf sound. In fact, I don’t even think about it. When I'm part of the songwriting process and sing, it just sounds like Wolf no matter what we do." There is still a lot to discover.