#VAGABONDZREVIEW: WOLFTOPIA - WAYS OF THE PACK
- Dec 16, 2021
- 5 min read
Updated: Feb 23, 2022
Melodic death metal is the metal music genre I’m dead keen on. I profoundly admire technically advanced guitar parts, growling and totally overwhelming by its power vocals and deep and sharp blast beats supporting the whole genre image.
Mostly when it comes for me to review a melodeath band, the experience is exhilarating because every band tries to develop the genre, adding up new elements there.
This time Inverse Records provided me with promising melodic death metal band called Wolftopia. Time to check this one out! Must say this band is absolutely new for me and I start writing here without giving the music a single listen. This is going to me more interesting to express my opinion afterwards, so I'm about to start!
Let's go through the band itself. Wolftopia is a Finnish melodic death metal band from Vaasa. The debut EP named I Am The Storm was released in 2019 and now in 2021 the band is ready to blast their debut Ways Of The Pack album.
Ways of the Pack is the debut album of Wolftopia. It was recorded in the band’s home studios in Vaasa over the summer of 2020, and mixed and mastered by Ahti Kortelainen (Tico Tico Studios). The album features eight fast-paced, bombastic metal songs, ranging from the dark to the energetic, from the angry to the empowering. Ways of the Pack is filled to the brim with complex melodic death metal that deftly walks a fine line between in-your-face aggression and bombastic grandeur.
Ways of the Pack album was accompanied by three singles: Alpha, boasting menacing guitar riffs and unforgiving blast-beat drums; the fast, atmospheric album opener Hound of War; and the catchy and slightly retro rocker Wash the Spears.
To tell the truth I'm eager to start listening to the album already! This time I would like to evaluate the album as a whole from the very beginning.
The opening track Hound Of War has surprisingly sharp beginning I must say, but such sudden appear works good for reaching the immediate effect. Long instrumental intro is wild, sharp and distinguished blast beats nicely accomplished with classic lead guitar melodeath feature are making the start just exhilarating. I find it breathtaking for the band to implement such atmospheric bridge accompanied with both lead and rhythm guitars and the way those jump back to the verse. Some moment the drums seemed me even too sharp but maybe the band decided to make a spotlight on them, so it depends on part to be stressed. Overall Hound Of War impression for me is a logical extension of Children of Bodom music, early records especially. Regarding to that, I may express intention for the band to be huge admirers of Alexi Laiho and Children Of Bodom. The only exception from Bodom for me is the absence of driving and advanced key melodies involving the dominating combination of shred guitar solos. All in all, I find much similar to Children Of Bodom in every Wolftopia song featured on the album.
Still, some differences are objectively heard in The Last Embrace of the Mother. To my mind symphonic intro can’t go wrong especially in heavy music. That was great decision for the band to add up to song atmosphere and complete the song implementing new elements. As I said before, melodic death metal is versatile genre and can be controlled in many possible ways. As for me the most apt features added are clean vocals and synth/orchestrations.
Vocal peculiarities here are something interesting to be taken into account. On one hand they have the same sound level than other instruments but some moments they are like jumping out of the song context to add up to dynamics. A good example of sound enlivened! The guitars are perfectly blasting together with drums adding more fire here.
The example of riveting guitar intro can be heard in Wash the Spears, and namely attention grabbing “muted” equalizer play. They worth being mentioned as the special moment of the song. Generally speaking the guitar riff here is more moving and energetic. The same great energy can be heard in vocals emphasized with keys melodics and moreover the guitar solo totally worth mentioning! It’s so technically advanced one and the moment when it was caught and changed with vocals make the better effect. Nice work!
We Are The Pack is another example of great work done! The intro is atmospheric due to guitar-keys combination ideal for melodeath and I must mention the chorus here. It’s pure adrenaline and great enough for live shows.
Then I would like to move to May He Sever the Shadow where incredibly atmospheric and captivating intro is kicking. This exact moment I hear Wolftopia’s own style of writing music. Lead melody is combination with mildly built blast beats makes this song truly captivating. May He Sever the Shadow sound is Wolftopia, not Children Of Bodom that’s why I want to make special accent here. Even Bodom-style keys here add up to the song idea very good and the main dominating instrument here is lead guitar making the real fire with that solo. Personally, I would like to hear more similar songs from Wolftopia because I hear this band to be able to create something special. At this moment the guitar melody of this song is the only thing for me to have stuck upon memory after the first listening to the album.
ABOUT THE ENTIRE ALBUM
Now it's time to touch the sound production here. The lower range instruments were made dynamic, enlivened by sharp heavy guitars what is the main feature for melodeath. One more time I would like to express my admiration to the sound work made in Finland-written albums. Always on the top! Speaking of the Ways Of The Pack album as a whole, it surely has prospects for being better recognized as big melodic death metal album. Mainly because of dominating Children Of Bodom influence the band was able to create atmospheric and technically advanced album. Recorded, mixed and mastered professionally it has many possibilities to go to the high after its official release and personally I make high expectations for this band.
Time after time the drums seemed me maybe too fierce, especially when it comes to the beginning of the album but obviously all songs are made in professional and in-detailed way and the work as a whole deserves many respects only.
I would seriously recommend Wolftopia not lose themselves in classic melodeath sound and be opened to broadening horizons in case to create own unique way of writing music. I appreciate their rush to follow Children Of Bodom sound but listening to The Last Embrace of the Mother and May He Sever the Shadow and hearing their own sound makes me think of how enormously big they can go.
Wolftopia Line-up:
Aleksander Okhotnikov (Vocals & guitars) Tom Israels (Drums) Tim Reus (Bass) Topi Karhunen (Guitar)
Ways Of The Pack will be released already tomorrow, so don't miss the chance to start streaming this killer! Special thanks goes to Inverse Records for keeping me in touch with such talented bands. More to come soon!
Ways Of The Pack album track list:
1. Hound of War
2. The Last Embrace of the Mother
3. Wash the Spears
4. We are Pack
5. Predator
6. May He Sever the Shadow
7. The Alpha
8. I am the Storm
Wolftopia in social media:
https://www.facebook.com/wolftopiaband https://www.instagram.com/wolftopiaband https://wolftopia.bandcamp.com
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