TRACK LIST:
1. Rise of the Machines 4:47
2. New World Order 3:45
3. Point of No Return 4:43
4. Ghost From Within 4:54
5. Poison in Your Veins 5:09
6. King of Fools 5:14
7. Dangerous Minds 4:29
8. Broken 4:40
9. Hurricane 4:37
10. Nightmare 4:31
LINE UP :
Wolfgang Forstner - guitars
Manuel Wimmer - drums
Christian Freimoser - vocals
Thomas Rackl - bass
with:
Zipp Kowalew - piano, keyboards
Prolusion.
German band Wolfen Reloaded is, from what I understand, the continuation of the band Wolfen, which was a band that started out back in the 1980s. The original band disbanded in the middle of the 1990s, but reformed as Wolfen Reloaded back in 2009. From what I can gather, this new version of the band released an EP a few years back but haven't released any more official material since then. The album "The Ghost From Within", which was released through German label Fastball Music, should then be the official debut album of Wolfen Reloaded.
Analysis.
Wolfen Reloaded is marketed as progressive hard rock, and are self-describes as exploring a slightly progressive variety of hard rock. Personally I find the latter of those descriptions to be the most accurate one, as there aren't really all that many instances where I'd state that the songs here are strictly operating within a defined progressive rock or progressive metal context. That being said, this is also an album that might well intrigue quite a few people within the progressive rock scene too. This due to certain similarities with known progressive rock bands.
The name I'd pull out of the hat most often for this band is King's X. The guitar sound and quite a few of the guitar riffs does come with some at times striking similarities to the early days of King's X in particular, and quite a few of the vocal melodies are also very much approached and executed in a manner I suspect many fans of King's X will find familiar sounding. I also note that many of the songs where I get associations also towards other artists will usually contain some elements that remind me of King's X as well.
Queensryche is another band name-dropped by Wolfen Reloaded, and this is also a feature that is noticeable in some vocal performances in terms of melodies as well as structure, with some guitar sounds and riffs also pointing a little bit in that direction. The songs with a bit more of a Queensryche feel to them are also, in my view at least, some of the more progressive oriented on this production.
We also get some token one-offs in terms of associations and possible influences. With one case of a song that sounds like a meeting of minds between classic era Dio and King's X, and another song that at times sounds like King's X having a go at a Dream Theater song.
I'd say that by and large Wolfen Reloaded is more of a band that resides in the borderland between hard rock and heavy metal, as the songs tend to be fairly straight forward affairs and the use of progressive elements are rarely if ever a dominant element in its own right. But while this may be the case, this is also an album that I do find to be compelling as well as interesting and intriguing. The songs are well thought out, the guitar riffs are catchy, the vocals are strong and melodic and the mix and production is of the quality one would expect in 2024.
Conclusion.
While Wolfen Reloaded may not be the go to option for those with an interest in progressive hard rock, those who tend to enjoy a band that take on hard rock and 80s heavy metal and adds a little bit of a progressive flavouring to such landscapes should get a lot out of this album. And in my view at least, I'd say that those who tend to find the mood and tone of the classic era albums by King's X and Queensryche to be generally intriguing should be the ones to give this production a little bit of their music listening time.
Progmessor: May 2024
The Rating Room
