Howling Wolves - As Above So Bellow Review

Some say the NWOBHM has been over for decades. On the other hand, some still think the NWOBHM is the best thing Metal music has ever produced. To some extent, many think the NWOBHM is Metal itself. No more, no less. When passion comes in it’s difficult to have an impartial view. The NWOBHM is really too much to handle.

Well, that all was said because from where I’m standing “As Above So Bellow” by Howling Wolves is a good sample of what bands today are doing with the so called NWOBHM. And the outcome is great, if you kknwo what I mean. The album is heavy and hard, raw and polished, predictable and surprising. The kind of album that the reactions are only love or hate. The best albums are like this, don’t you agree my dear child of the night?

First of all, I’d like to point out Felix Weckowski vocals for its versatily and uniqueness. In a Metal world that it seems to be allowed only the clean singing and the no clean singing his voice is something like a stand. As references my dear fan can think of Keel’s Ron Keel and The Cult’s Ian Astbury. Album opener “World Of Doubts” gave me first the idea of Ron Keel, but as soon as the album was rolling I got the idea that it addresses more to Ian Astbury. His gritty voice gives a lot of heart to Howling Wolves music. A voice with personality if you ask me. Musicwise, some songs had the sonancy that reminded me a lot Twisted Sister’s “Burn in Hell” as an intent. I guess it was the sound of the guitars. Maybe the notes played. Sometimes the band think of a sonancy but the outcome is a little different from the planned.

I know the bands I cited here aren’t exactly NWOBHM. The thing is that everything in the package makes it NWOBHM. As a fun fact is that the press release says the band is Heavy Rock with Hardcore. Having second thoughts, it makes a lot of sense because roughly saying the NWOBHM is a kind of a mix of the two. No, it’s not Thrash Metal. Thrash Metal is the mix of the NWOBHM with Hardcore. I know many will contest this… Well, as a matter of fact, Howling Wolves were formed after the disbanding of a Hardcore band. See the point?

Howling Wolves “As Above So Bellow” was released on June 25th via Karma Conspiracy Records.

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