Release
date: September 23rd 2016. Label: Czar Of Crickets Productions.
Format: CD/DD/Vinyl
Ironclad
– Tracklisting
Pure
as the Driven Snow
Ironclad
Shield
Wall
The
Everlasting Ride
Days
Like Lost Dogs
When
Steel Rains
Wolf
Mountain
Band
Members:
Ralf
W. Garcia – Bass/Vocals
Reto
Crola – Drums
André
Mathieu – Guitars
Ralph
Huber – Guitars
Review:
Swiss
doom masters Wolf Counsel return with their second album Ironclad and
as with their debut album Vol 1 the album is packed full of mournful
energy and cast iron riffs. The bands high energy take on classic
doom ala Candlemass and Cathedral is elevated here and they take the
momentum of their well received debut album and build on it supremely
on this album.
Ironclad
is the sound of a band taking no prisoners and this fresh and
bolstered line up of Wolf Counsel are bigger than ever. Whereas on
their debut, it was band main-man Ralf Winzer Garcia who played all
the instruments (apart from the guitars) and was pretty much a one
man show, now he has a band of gifted musician behind him (and these
new members who also play in Swiss death metallers Punish are on fine
form here) who elevate the Wolf Counsel sound allowing him to
concentrate on singing and his bass playing and this works well as
his Wino-esque howl sounds even better on Ironclad.
Ironclad
gets off to a roaring start with Pure As The Driven Snow, this opener
being a compelling and mesmerising start to the doom laden
proceedings with the song being driven by Garcia's strong vocal
stylings.
The
albums title track is up next and is dominated by a simple but very
effective plunging riff that drives the song forth and a catchiness
that is always nice to hear from doom merchants, this song is
destined to become a live favourite in the future for sure, its
chorus being belted out en-masse would be a very pleasing sound.
The
likes of the pummelling Shield Wall (with Garcias nod to Tom G
Warrior's Style death grunt getting the track started before his
doomier vocals take over) and the commanding The Everlasting Ride
prove that just as on their debut album, the riffs are on point but
they have an even more mature songwriting ability this time around
and this is shown off tremendously. The craft that has gone into
these songs is as immense as the riffs.
Elsewhere
on the album, the hypnotic doom of Days Like Lost Dog and the
monstrous When Steel Rains take the classic Sabbath/Vitus templates
and run with them, the latter especially is such a great example of a
doom song throughout its entirety, it's whole vibe is doomed than
thou.
Ironclad
concludes with the anthemic Wolf Mountain and what a way to finish
the album with a song as powerful as this. The drums sound like
hammers battering the mountain of the title and the riffs will stay
in your head for days while the singing is melodic and effective and
the whole track is a perfect way to end.
Ironclad
is the sound of Wolf Counsel reaching their potential very early in
their career and it is clear from this album and its songs that they
can only go even further up from here.
Words
by Gavin Brown
Thanks
to Frederyk at Czar of Crickets Productions for the promo. Ironclad
will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Czar Of Crickets Productions from September 23rd
2016.
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