Ελληνικά
Last Updated on 08:50 AM by Nikos Nakos
Genre: Doom Metal
Country: Switzerland
Label: Czar of Crickets
Year: 2016
Wolf Counsel is one of those peculiar bands that although they were formed a long time ago, they started to actually exist in the last few years. Wolf Counsel were formed in Zurich (Switzerland) in 1990, however they came into existence in 2014, when two music veterans joined their forces and love towards low tuned music and heavy metal riffs. Their first release, “Vol 1. Wolf Counsel”, came out last year. Today we’ll be dealing with the band’s second full length album entitled “Ironclad”, a seven – track release that surfaced on September 23rd 2016 via Czar of Crickets and Plastic Head Distributions.
Generally speaking, I find it pretty hard to connect with Doom Metal. I need time to let myself be absorbed by its magic and to actually realize whether I actually like or not a record. So that’s what I did with Wolf Counsel. I was a bit skeptical at first, mostly because the first thing that can make me turn away from a Doom record is the vocals. After all, music has catholicity as a feature, so as long as it’s well – written, it can “speak” to you sooner or later. Thank God, both the music and the vocals of “Ironclad” are almost ideal for the genre the band serves. Just to be clear, “Ironclad” fits a vast kind of genre. Wolf Counsel’s music is in the style of late 70s and 80s prototype Doom, Sludge and Metal, so vintage aesthetics and the general retro approach are the two pillars of Wolf Counsel’s music. There are both fast and slow parts, leading to both happy and sorrowful feelings. The variety one can distinguish and most of all the wise choice of orchestration (musicianship is superb as well), leads to an interesting record that doesn’t allow you to mentally drift away. Therefore, the band has dogged the bullet of making “another boring doom metal album”.
Recommended for all fans of the genre. Wolf Counsel have a lot to offer if you afford the time. “Ironclad” was recorded at Hell’s Kitchen and Little Creek Studio during October 2015 and April 2016. It was produced, mixed and mastered by V.O. Pulver and the band itself. All the music and lyrics were written by Ralf W. Garcia.
4.5/6
The band has released an official video for the track “Pure As The Driven Snow”, which can be found here:
For those interested in forming a more complete view of the band, their full length “Ironclad” can be found here, streaming full, without restrictions:
