Old School metal band called WOLF

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

Has anyone out there ever heard of WOLF? They're a Swedish metal band with a killer old school sound to them. I rate them as a solid four-star band, with some song that flirt with the five-star category.

If you want to check them out, some audio and video files are available at the following two locations:

http://www.prostheticrecords.com/bands/wolf.shtml

http://www.wolf.nu/download.asp

Check 'em out, let me know what you think.

 

[delize]

You are a wee bit to late We have been raving about this band for months.

 

[SickBoy]

You are a wee bit to late We have been raving about this band for months.

And thank you for all that rave, I have now discovered yet another excellent band! I've been really into them lately...

 

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

You are a wee bit to late We have been raving about this band for months.

DOH! And here I thought I was bringing something new to the table. Oh well, I'll keep searching!

 

[Bryant]

DOH! And here I thought I was bringing something new to the table. Oh well, I'll keep searching!

Have you heard Tad Morose ? They have a good bit of oldschool style in them. They have been talked about quite a bit here as well.


Bryant

 

[JonnyD]

Have you heard Tad Morose ? They have a good bit of oldschool style in them. They have been talked about quite a bit here as well.


Bryant

YES!!! if you havnt Heard em Check out "Modus Vivindi"!!! ... you will love them I promise!

 

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

Yeah, I just posted about Tad Morose when JonnyD mentioned them in the Lefay thread. Matters of the Dark is another album on my top-20 list. I've also got Anubis and Undead, but Matters is still my fave.

Another band that falls into this category is Cage. Their Darker than Black album will probably land in my top-ten of all time.

I just love bands that are really heavy, not overly fast, and have the kind of production where the cymbols are clear and crisp and the bass drum will punch a hole in your gut. Lefay, Tad Morose, and Cage all fall into this category for me.

In contrast, production-wise, are bands like Mob Rules and Astral Doors. I just love those bands as well, but they don't score as high for me because their production has a "muddy" feel to it. The instruments aren't separated enough for my tastes. I'm always fiddling with my equalizer trying to get them to sound right to my ear.

 

[Griffin-]

yeah Sweden has some great metalbands! Wolf is really good

 

[Wyvern]

In contrast, production-wise, are bands like Mob Rules and Astral Doors. I just love those bands as well, but they don't score as high for me because their production has a "muddy" feel to it. The instruments aren't separated enough for my tastes. I'm always fiddling with my equalizer trying to get them to sound right to my ear.

a) Astral Doors is IMO a great band and their debut kick-ass
b) I don't believe in equalizers only bass and treble

Wolf "Evil Star" is my #1 album of 2004 and I'm never got tired of saying how good they are.

Bands also recommended to check out:

Rival - "State Of Mind" (thanks to Sixxswine)
Wuthering Heights - "Far From The Madding Crowd" (also with Nils Patrick Johanssen)
Malediction - "Esclave Du Vice" (and its predecessor)
Manigance - "D'Autre Sang" (and its predecessors)

 

[Bryant]

Yeah, I just posted about Tad Morose when JonnyD mentioned them in the Lefay thread. Matters of the Dark is another album on my top-20 list. I've also got Anubis and Undead, but Matters is still my fave.

Another band that falls into this category is Cage. Their Darker than Black album will probably land in my top-ten of all time.

I just love bands that are really heavy, not overly fast, and have the kind of production where the cymbols are clear and crisp and the bass drum will punch a hole in your gut. Lefay, Tad Morose, and Cage all fall into this category for me.

In contrast, production-wise, are bands like Mob Rules and Astral Doors. I just love those bands as well, but they don't score as high for me because their production has a "muddy" feel to it. The instruments aren't separated enough for my tastes. I'm always fiddling with my equalizer trying to get them to sound right to my ear.

I am a lot like you. I don't care how good you play, sing etc. if your tone sucks and/or your production is lousy, I am simply not interested. Anytime there are threads about favorite musicians, I even add my favorite producers because it is that important to me.
In fact, when some people comment about poor production and say it sounds "dated" I have a hard time blaming technology for that. Boston's early releases and AC/DCs "Back in Black" happened in 1980 and prior and they are still some of the most well produced releases I have ever heard. Not every band has the luxury of a "Mutt" Lange, but if your band can't please my ears with the production, the chance of me liking you is pretty fucking rare. There are a few exceptions like "Heaven and Hell" by Sabbath which has some very shitty guitar tone, but not a whole hell of a lot.


Bryant

 

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

a) Astral Doors is IMO a great band and their debut kick-ass
b) I don't believe in equalizers only bass and treble

Wolf "Evil Star" is my #1 album of 2004 and I'm never got tired of saying how good they are.

Bands also recommended to check out:

Rival - "State Of Mind" (thanks to Sixxswine)
Wuthering Heights - "Far From The Madding Crowd" (also with Nils Patrick Johanssen)
Malediction - "Esclave Du Vice" (and its predecessor)
Manigance - "D'Autre Sang" (and its predecessors)

That's funny you should mention equalizer vs. bass/treble, Wyvern. I have no choice but to use EQ at home because my 5.1 surround sound attached to my computer IS my home stereo (and doesn't have bass/treble, only EQ). Now in my truck, I only have bass and treble controls and Mob Rules and Astral Doors sound a LOT better on that stereo system. But if I don't turn on the EQ on my Window Media Player, then everything sounds muffled and quiet. I'm pretty good at EQs though, as I used to run sound for a local band back in the days. It's really just a hassle though, as I'd like to just plug in one cd after another without having to play musical chairs with the EQ bands.

Of the four new bands mentioned, I do have Wuthering Heights. They play a little too fast for my tastes, but damn, their slower and mid-tempo parts sure do kick some serious ass! And their folk melodies? Holy crap! To me, the intro and outro of Land of Olden Glory is quite possibly the greatest piece of music ever written! I'll check into those other bands as well, but if they include a lot of rapid-fire drumming or death metal vocals, I probably won't be interested (I don't mind speed or growling if done sparingly and in context with the music).

And Bryant, you are sooo right! You can't blame a "dated" sound on technology, it was simply a lack of money and talented producers back then. Like you said, albums like Back in Black and the Boston albums have killer production. I could add Judas Priest British Steel and all the late 70's Styx albums to that list as well. I can still tolerate bad production in some cases (with bands I totally love like early Fates Warning with John Arch and Diamondhead) but I have to play to those albums FIRST in a listening session....because if I go from something with killer production to something that's lacking, it sounds too much like shit. So, if I know I'm gonna be jamming for the next four hours, I play the old stuff first and work my way into the newer stuff, which has much better production for the most part.

 

[Wyvern]

That's funny you should mention equalizer vs. bass/treble, Wyvern. I have no choice but to use EQ at home because my 5.1 surround sound attached to my computer IS my home stereo (and doesn't have bass/treble, only EQ). Now in my truck, I only have bass and treble controls and Mob Rules and Astral Doors sound a LOT better on that stereo system

That's why I never believed in EQ and I like my sound system as it is and my computer 2.0 speakers . Bass/treble do sound better IMO.

Of the four new bands mentioned, I do have Wuthering Heights. They play a little too fast for my tastes

Hmm, interesting to me they are not very fast, maybe because of the strong folk influence.

I'll check into those other bands as well, but if they include a lot of rapid-fire drumming or death metal vocals, I probably won't be interested (I don't mind speed or growling if done sparingly and in context with the music).

Yeah, you're a bit like me and also different. I love some speed/power, speed/thrash. Riffs at 100 KPH and double bass faster than light. But I hate growls, so trust me that all the bands I recommend have clean vocals.

 

[SickBoy]

a) Astral Doors is IMO a great band and their debut kick-ass

It's simply amazing how many typical Dio with BS and solo, as well as Rainbow passages and phrasing can be heard on this album!
I have a constant feeling "I must've heard this before...", cause the guys ripped the styles perfectly and blended them seamlessly.
Great album, with a good dose of nostalgia!

 

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

Hey Wyvern, in regards to Wuthering Heights:

If you listen to a lot of guitar riffs at 100 KPH and double bass faster than light, that's probably why WH doesn't seem fast to you! Just about everything I listen to is mid-tempo, so when I pop in Wuthering I get whiplash from the sudden change in speed. It's a pleasant kind of pain though, in the case of WH! I just Loooooove those heavy folk influences.

 

[Wyvern]

Hey Wyvern, in regards to Wuthering Heights:

If you listen to a lot of guitar riffs at 100 KPH and double bass faster than light, that's probably why WH doesn't seem fast to you! Just about everything I listen to is mid-tempo, so when I pop in Wuthering I get whiplash from the sudden change in speed. It's a pleasant kind of pain though, in the case of WH! I just Loooooove those heavy folk influences.

Indeed, and Tyr "Eric The Red" is a great album! I do like Skyclad the most, but I'm not much into folk.

 

[SoundMaster]

You can't blame a "dated" sound on technology, it was simply a lack of money and talented producers back then. Like you said, albums like Back in Black and the Boston albums have killer production. I could add Judas Priest British Steel and all the late 70's Styx albums to that list as well. I can still tolerate bad production in some cases (with bands I totally love like early Fates Warning with John Arch and Diamondhead) but I have to play to those albums FIRST in a listening session....because if I go from something with killer production to something that's lacking, it sounds too much like shit. So, if I know I'm gonna be jamming for the next four hours, I play the old stuff first and work my way into the newer stuff, which has much better production for the most part.

In my view, albums from the 70s often feature the VERY BEST sound/production, whereas much of the 80s was dreadful.

Case in point: the debut albums by both Zeppelin & Sabbath were both recorded in a matter of hours (literally), with little overdubbing.
Yet both OUTSHINE much of what's produced today! Perhaps it's the fact that analog equipment just adds a warmth that digital can never hope to achieve?

Heck, AC/DC's "High Voltage" has an amazingly warm, crisp sound. The sound trounces later releases such as that found on "Fy On the Wall", etc.

 

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

Yeah, I think the problem with the 80s was the influx of "underground" metal bands. I know that's what my friends and I were listening to and there were tons of them (mostly out of Europe, not much has changed). Unfortunately, these bands just didn't have the funding to go top notch in the studio and they didn't have a huge record label backing them up. So most bands just recorded the albums the best they could using what little resources they had at the time.

Back in the 70s, most of those bands we talk about with the killer production were all on huge labels: Warner, Columbia, RCA, etc.

Now, with the advent of digital technology and its relatively cheap price tag, anyone who wants to learn Pro Tools can become a decent producer. Sure, we lose the warm fuzzy feeling of analog, but there has to be a trade-off there somewhere. I'm kinda sitting on the fence on the whole digital/analog issue...and it's starting to chafe.

 

[TheGraveDigger]

I have been meaning to check out Wolf forever now and I think I will finally do so my next trip to Vintage Vinyl (I've been so behind on my cd buying latley). Also Astral Doors I don't know a thing about them except they are opening for my boys Grave Digger on their upcoming European tour so I am gonna have to check them out big time.

 

[Griffin-]

Yeah, I think the problem with the 80s was the influx of "underground" metal bands. I know that's what my friends and I were listening to and there were tons of them (mostly out of Europe, not much has changed). Unfortunately, these bands just didn't have the funding to go top notch in the studio and they didn't have a huge record label backing them up. So most bands just recorded the albums the best they could using what little resources they had at the time.

This doesn't really have to be a problem though. I mean actually this underground was good for many reasons... just because the fundings ewren't there they had to put their blood sweat and tears in it to make this album sounds like something important, to try and get a name outside of the underground. So many bands had the chance but didnt make it.. but still, I'm really glad some of them didn't because so many bands went downhill as soon as they were over this 'threshold' so to speak.

 

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

Agreed, Griffin. The production may not have been to my liking, but the bands back then sure wrote some killer metal back in those days. Like I said, my friends and I were all listening to them. You just learned to deal with the lackluster production. I also agree, it might've been for the best that many of these bands never reached a popular status. The lure of the money has made some of the staunchest musicians into cataclysmic sell-outs. Bands who never even got a shot at the mega-labels never had to deal with being tempted by the green. They just kept writing music from the heart.