Album Review: Wolf - Devil Seed

I come into contact with a lot of people who do not share my musical tastes, and I notice certain trends among them that often catch me by surprise. One of those is that fans of mostly extreme metal often have a soft spot in their hearts for traditional metal, despite all the clichés about it that their preferred style of music tried to eradicate. And among those fans who have such a proclivity, Wolf is one of the bands that often gets brandished as an example of what traditional metal should be. To be honest, I can't say I have had much of a history with the band, having only listened to a few tracks from their “The Black Flame” album, when they were at the height of their underground fame. Now they are back once again with “Devil Seed”, and I get to see if they are everything I have been led to believe.

Wolf dips into the bag of clichés early, starting the album off with a two minute instrumental passage, which at least is not a symphonic number that shows their lack of traditional compositional skill. It's still a mostly useless bit of music that makes it hard for the album to get going, but it does sound like Wolf, which is a bonus.

Once the real songs get going, “Devil Seed” is a ripper of an album, melding traditional metal to a low-key thrash attack, the guitars bobbing and weaving around the drums with the precision of a flyweight on speed. Wolf is a guitar band through and through, and they play up their strengths throughout the record. Every song has an abundance of riffs and solos that propel the songs through their running times. “Shark Attack” doesn't take advantage of the memory of “Jaws”, but it does sound as frantic and harried as if you were in the midst of such an event. The guitars are as sharp as the namesake's teeth, and Wolf knows not to overstay their welcome by wrapping the whole thing up in less than four minutes.

The production on “Devil Seed” is a boon to the album. The clarity and bite of the guitars is essential to making the album as powerful as it can feel. Songs that are focused on riffs need to have a sharp guitar tone to make those notes plow through the percussion. Too often, metal bands have flabby tones that neuter the heaviness of the riffs, but Wolf's tone is perfect for what they're trying to do. There's enough grit to remind you that this isn't a mainstream record you're listening to, but it's polished enough to put the riffs on display.

Wolf can play fast, but they might be even better when they slow things down. “Surgeons Of Lobotomy” brings down the tempo, establishing a sinister groove. The song grinds along on a solid riff, until the chorus comes in with some layered vocals that beautifully fit the mood of the song. “My Demon” is an odd duck, with a main section that defies my mental clock, the drums featuring an odd beat that stands out and makes me think the whole song is being played in the wrong time signature. If I tune out the drums, it's actually a darn good track.

“Devil Seed” is one of those albums that will appeal to people of all metal persuasions. Anyone who's a fan of traditional metal will be able to get into this music, while even people who prefer heavier sounds will be able to embrace the riffage on the album. Wolf doesn't even flirt with the pop sensibilities that mark much of traditional metal, so I can understand why so many underground fans love the band so much. I wouldn't be averse to a few more sticky melodies in the vocal department, but “Devil Seed” is a perfect album for anyone who loves guitars. Wolf knows what they're doing.