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LONEWOLF
Cult Of Steel

Massacre (2014)
Rating: 7.5/10

Having formed in 1992 out of Grenoble in France, metalheads Lonewolf – in spite of a four-year break from 1996 to 2000 – have remained prolific throughout their career; although more so since reforming.

Cult Of Steel is the seventh offering from these guys since 2002 debut March Into The Arena, and you feel with these guys that if pushed, they could force an album out every week such is their fiery nature and the burning passion within their metal hearts.

This is metal which does exactly what it says on the tin; indeed, the quintet very much hints at classic 80s metal – flirting with the same muscularity and fully armoured nuances which made the likes of Manilla Road, Manowar etc. so darn bestial. Lonewolf offers the subtlety of a hammer to the skull; evoking images of great battles, blazing skies, crumbling fortresses and days of yore – still fronted by battle beast extraordinaire Jens Börner, who continues to fly the flag for metal while other, less manly heroes fall around him. By his side Börner his aided in his quest by new drummer Bubu Brunner, lead guitarist Alex Hilbert (who previously played bass) and bassist Rikki Mannhard, and with that the band sets up its stall to gallop beyond the horizons and spread the word of metal into infinity.

I doubt you’ll hear a record so metal this year; in fact, Lonewolf are so metal that they probably feel cheated not to have existed in the 80s when their fiery brand of sword-flailing mayhem may have been more appreciated. As it stands though, this new 12-track outing transcends all eras in its stubbornness. It is not interested in being anything else other than raging metal, which at times flirts with speed metal and power metal. Indeed, I can see the orcs of Hell clanking their swords to this as I speak, such is the macho belief and straightforward approach.

There are some who may find the vocals a tad cheesy. Börner is the archetypal frontman, boastful in that he will free the princess from the clutches of evil and embed his flag of metal into every treacherous land he conquers, but at least he doesn’t beat about the bush. His masterful cries of war and fantasy are complemented wonderfully by the often galloping rhythms and as the leads soar out of the metal mire like giant birds ready to pounce on their prey, I feel it only necessary to dive into the storage cupboard and dig out my old battle jacket in order to join the army of believers.

The sole reason that heavy metal as a genre has existed so long is because of bands such as Lonewolf who have never strayed from the path, in spite of those detractors who no doubt felt that the genre was stuck in a sort of dungeons ‘n’ dragons type void. And yet for every other genre and subgenre, there will always be a place for anthems such as ‘Hordes Of The Night’, ‘Werewolf Rebellion’, ‘Hell’s Legacy’, and ‘Force To Fight’ which, although may suggest limitations, also propose that in its purity metal should only be about the subjects covered here.

While very much sticking to type, Cult Of Steel is very much beer-drinking, dragon-hunting, metal-madness that wants to be filed alongside the likes of Running Wild and no doubt will be long after Börner and company has slayed its last foe. Good stuff if you want it kept simple yet blazing like the fires in the night.

Neil Arnold

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