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Anybody remembering the Canadian band White Wolf? In the mid-80's they released 2 good albums, but never could make it big. Now 20 years later singer Don Wolf is back with guitarist Cam MacLeod and some Swedish musicians to complete the line-up. Actually Mr. Wolf returned to the music biz in the early 90's with some projects like Point Of Power, Project X and a solo album. Awhile ago Escape Music ask Don Wolf to do another White Wolf album - and he did!
They open up with the title track - an up-tempo tune with heavy riffs and the powerful voice of Don Wolf. The hook line is catchy, but not kitschy! The vocals remind me a bit of Riot.... And let me think of Riot's Nightbreaker.... Perhaps it's just the phrasing.... But it also has vocally some Gillan-ish... Anyway, with the catchy Victim Of The Spotlight the Canadians choose the right track to catch the interest of the listener. Heavy riffs and melody are combined to fresh melodic metal. With The Wolf they are more 70's / 80's heavy rock á la Deep Purple and Rainbow. During the chorus a backing choir adds some catchy lines - something many Scandinavian melodic acts used in the past. Cool. More AOR is America (Hello Again) which will please fans of Bad English, Giant and Dokken. The song has a sad note... A bit melancholy, but there is hope. Nice guitar solo - and afterwards a bit Toto-like... One More Lie could have become kitschy, but the vocals of Don Wolf are partly angry and slightly aggressive which adds a different atmosphere to the main theme. With distorted spoken words kicks off Hard Cold Stone which is based on some staccato riff and here Wolf shows a different facet of this vocal style. Nightmares remind me a bit of Europe at Wings Of Tomorrow... Riff-based with keyboard lines, emotional vocals and a catchy chorus.
The 12 tracks offer a variety of sounds, but always stay inside the hard rock / melodic metal genre. Sure, there are reminiscences to other bands, but White Wolf aren't copy cats. The songs sound fresh and it's fun to listen to every song on Victim Of The Spotlight. Fans of hard rock and melodic metal should check out White Wolf 2007! Pick any song and you won't be disappointed, but The Eyes Of The World and America (Hello Again) are ear catchers, so be aware, they can infect you with the White Wolf virus!
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