Lonewolf – Army of the damned

Lonewolf are a French power metal band that formed in 1993.  They released a demo and single before splitting in 1996.  In 2000 the band reformed and released their debut album.  Now in 2012 they have just released their fifth studio album – Army of the damned.  France isnt a country known for a great metal tradition (although the French have produced some great bands) but Lonewolf have certainly produces some good power metal here – if you can cope with the cliches.

Lonewolf?  The name itself seems cliched – there are plenty of other bands with the word Wolf in their name – most notably Wolf and Powerwolf – why the lack of originality – its not as though there arent other animals to name a band after.  Lyricaly there are plenty of cliches too but then again Power metal as a genre is known for cliches.

Musically they are very good – well written songs, great guitar work, fast paced tunes with strong choruses and powerful drums.  The vocals are good for much of the album but you do get the impression that there isn’t much range and versatility in the vocals.

“Crawling to hell” has a definite Sabaton feel to it with its music, its military theme and the triumphal chorus.  It’s a great track.

“Army of the damned” is another Sabaton-like song – not a bad thing though as if you have to sound similar to another band then Sabaton are a good choice.

Really the whole album is good solid power metal.

This is a damn good album that’s well worth checking out if you’re a lover of power metal.

Rating: 7/10

Track listing:

1. Lonewolf
2. Crawling To Hell
3. Army Of The Damned
4. Hellbent For Metal
5. Soulreapers
6. Celtic Heart
7. The Last Defenders
8. Cold
9. The One You Never See
10. Tally Ho
11. One Second In Eternity

About Ant May

I spend half my life at gigs or festivals and the other half writing the reviews and editing photos, and somehow find time for a full time job too. Who needs sleep - I've got coffee.