Rock Wolves – Rock Wolves

Rock Wolves are an all-star trio springing forth from a dynamic heritage of German thoroughbreds. Showcasing the unmistakable talents of ‘Herman Rarebell’ (Scorpions) on drums, ‘Michael Voss’ (Mad Max) guitar and vocals, and ‘Stephen “Gudze” Hinz’ (H-Blockx) on bass. This astounding, diverse and fresh sounding debut will be unleashed to the world (except Japan) on 28^th of October via Steamhammer/SPV and will be available on Digi-Pak CD with poster, dirty white vinyl with CD in paper sleeve and download.

The alpha male from this pack (founding member) ‘Rarebell’ describes his new band as “classic rock music, powerful but not too heavy”. With such a diverse assembly of experience and talent this band seems practically spoiled for choice and ideas, this is clearly evident as you make your way through the record. Rock Wolves is a band that is clearly in pursuit of perfection – the passion and eagerness is driven right home by a monster truck in the opening track ‘Rock For The Nations’ beautifully uplifting and full of character that I assume only comes from guys in love with the concepts they are creating; this tune is straight up classic rock with an epic atmosphere that could easily be the next rock anthem.

The song that was hardest to get past after the first listen (6 times, 6 TIMES! before I got to the 3^rd track!) and yes you’ve guessed it, my standout track, is ‘Surrounded By Fools’. A gut grabbing intro loaded to the gills with sexy groovy riffs, a bluesy breakdown before a sensual solo and a catchy chorus that slapped a huge smile all over my face. They don’t stop with the wonderment there either, as the pace quickens in ’Out Of Time’ where they definitely don’t miss and hit the wall, totally hard rock chops bursting out of this one.

As this album plays out you’ll begin to notice that it has just that little extra something for everyone, from hard rock to romance to pure haunting ambience in tracks like ‘The Lion Is Loose’ and for AC/DC fans ‘I Need Your Love’, yes this record is for true rock fans containing whole-hearted and profound lyrics which caress our innermost hidden feelings at times. Isn’t this what rock is all about? The diversity doesn’t end there either, as the ballads kick in and drop down to a very romantic pace in ‘Nothings Gonna Bring Me Down’ and their cover of the 1985 classic by Heart ‘What About Love’. “Our new version has been given the blessing by ‘Jim Vallance’ himself. His only comment was: ‘Your version is even better than my original, so go for it,'” remembers ‘Rarebell’.

‘Lay With Me’ has a strong, passionate vocal delivery with subtle harmonies and a feel of beckoning to someone’s arms, that draws this beautiful masterpiece towards it’s utterly exciting finale in (itunes bonus track) ‘Inside Out’ that induced much head nodding and toe tapping, definitely could be a chart topping hit right there to compete with any of today’s youngsters.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable record, and being a thrasher at heart I can tell you that it’s not all about breaking your neck sometimes. ‘Rock Wolves’ is a powerfully and intelligently written record that will reach out and touch a wide audience. Because of the absolutely rock solid foundations it has emerged from, just like a phoenix from the flames, it will rise and it will succeed. These three renowned German musicians that span a stunning 40 years in the business have produced a killer rock album, saturated in melody; relentless riffs to gorge on; high spirited and drenched with hard hitting hooks – what more could anyone want from a classic rock album

Track listing:

Rock For The Nations

Surround By Fools

Out Of Time

What About Love

The Blame Game

Riding Shotgun

Nothings Gonna Bring Me Down

The Lion Is Loose

I Need Your Love

Lay With Me

Rock Inside Out (iTunes exclusive bonus track)