Norwegian Stoner Rock stalwarts WOLFNAUT introduce new lead guitarist and return with “Book of Wolfnaut” and “Wall of Sound”.

Forged in the sounds of early hard rock and metal, and the desert and stoner rock scene that exploded in the mid-1990s, WOLFNAUT has since its debut in 1998 inhabited the musical landscapes where melodic and catchy heavy rock meets sludgy and doomy stoner rock. "Book of Wolfnaut” and “Wall of Sound” continues in that tradition, incorporating power vocals, swinging riffs, wide-open desert spaces, fast shuffle, slow-burn tension and crushing weight in a meaty package.

Listen to new single  Book Of Wolfnaut below

 

 WOLFNAUT spent the first half of the decade as a trio. Last January the band invited renowned Norwegian guitar slinger Jo Inge “Jengt Castral” Hemstad to join the fold. The chemistry was instant. Hemstad is a seasoned veteran of the Nordic heavy and stoner scene, spending years on tour with heavy rockers Svölk, that released two acclaimed albums on Napalm Records in the early 2010s. His first appearance on stage with WOLFNAUT was at Desertfest Oslo in May last year. “Book of Wolfnaut” and “Wall of Sound” are WOLFNAUT’s first releases of original material featuring Hemstad on guitar.

Listen to new single “Wall of Sound”

"Book of Wolfnaut” and “Wall of Sound” was recorded at Audioskop studio, Sofiemyr, Norway, in July 2025. Production was handled by the band, with invaluable help from Ruben Willem and Bjørn Barstad. Mix and mastering was done by Ruben Willem (Kal-El, Håndgemeng, Gluecifer, The Good, The Bad and The Zugly). Photos by Sverre Houmb and cover design by Jo Inge Hemstad. "Book of Wolfnaut” was released on all streaming and download platforms 9 January 2026. “Wall of Sound” will be released 6 February 2026. Both singles are released on the band’s own label, Fuzzpanzer, and distributed internationally by The Orchard.

WOLFNAUT (formerly known as Wolfgang) started life in the mid-1990s in the town of Elverum, a two-hour drive northeast of the Norwegian capital Oslo. Their energetic live shows and debut album, «Welcome to the Cactus Mountains», became the stuff of legend in their hometown, and the album even garnered a solid review in Kerrang! WOLFNAUT reformed again in 2013, and the band released its second album, «Castle in the Woods», to raving reviews in 2016. The band’s third album, the aptly titled “III”, was released in 2022. “III” brought the band’s blend of catchy tunes and heavy stoner riffs to a larger international audience. Fourth album, “Return of the Asteroid”, was released by US based label Ripple Music in 2023. Both “III” and “Return of the Asteroid” was voted top 10 releases on the Doom Charts.

WOLFNAUT is

Tor Erik Hagen – Bass
Jo Inge «Jengt Castral» Hemstad - Guitars
Ronny «Ronster» Kristiansen - Drums & Theremin
Kjetil Sæter – Guitars & Vocals

WOLFNAUT links

Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | Spotify

Wolfnaut - Return Of The Asteroid (Album Review)

 

Release Date: April 21st 2023. Record Label: Ripple Music. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Return Of The Asteroid: Tracklisting

1.Brother of the Badlands 04:26 

2.My Orbit Is Mine 03:07

3.The Mighty Pawns 05:43

4.Crash Yer Asteroid 02:47

5.Arrows 04:41

6.G.T.R. 03:00

7.Something More Than Night 03:20

8.Crates of Doom 07:14

9.Wolfnaut's Lament 10:12

Members

Tor Erik Hagen: Bass

Ronny "Ronster" Kristiansen: Drums & Percussion

Kjetil Sæter: Guitars, Vocals & Piano

Review

Desert/Stoner Rockers Wolfnaut return with their fourth album Return Of The Asteroid and their first for Underground Juggernaut label Ripple Music. However, this hasn’t stopped the band creating their Heavy Metal inspired take on Desert/Stoner Rock with the band perhaps moving slightly further into the Heavy Metal realm. Their trademark Desert/Stoner grooves are here but with more emphasis on power and volume. 

The songs are catchy with the majority of the vocals and lyrics inspired by 1980’s Heavy Metal with perhaps Iron Maiden being a direct influence. This is a winning style of music which you can hear on the stunning opening track Brother Of The Badlands. A song that sees Wolfnaut inject some mighty cosmic flavours to the mix. The song is stylish with a classic Desert/Psych Rock sound being the main glue that holds everything together and the band move into different musical directions which can be quite progressive and melodic at the same time. 

The album is quite FUZZ based which comes more into focus on the next few songs of My Orbit Is Mine and The Mighty Pawns. The NWOBHM is there with the classic 1990’s Desert/Stoner Rock part of the album moving along at a cracking melodic pace. Kjetil’s vocals are top-notch when offering Old School Heavy Metal theatrics with the seedier Stoner Rock/Metal appearing here and there.

Return Of The Asteroid is a more daring, bolder and darker vision compared to their acclaimed last album. The creative themes are more vivid with the songs being more direct as well. The album is not what you would expect from Wolfnaut but with the band releasing album number four, they had to do something differently and they continue with that journey on sublime tracks such as Crash Yer Asteroid, G.T.R, Crates Of Doom and Wolfnaut’s Lament.

The only part of the album I didn't enjoy was the track Arrows. As it's mostly a ballad with some heavy moments. However, the song took the excitement from the album for a short period of time. Though, I do admire the creative choices that Wolfnaut made for this track. 

The final two songs Crates Of Doom and Wolfnaut’s Lament are where the band shine the most with some of the most passionate and heaviest grooves on the album. This part of the album has a “OVER THE TOP” and “WAY OUT THERE” presence but Wolfnaut keeps everything real with their dynamic use of Stoner and Weedian themes even within the NWOBHM framework that ultimately makes this album work.

This is a thrilling and action-packed album which will keep fans of Old School Heavy Metal and Stoner Metal entertained for a long time to come. 

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo.

Return Of The Asteroid is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Ripple Music

Links

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