WOLF Releases 'Death Satellite' Single From Upcoming 'Hour Of The Wolf' Album
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Swedish traditional metallers WOLF will release their tenth studio album, "Hour Of The Wolf", on November 20, 2026 via Fireflash Records. The official music video for the LP's first single, "Death Satellite", can be seen here.
Formed in Sweden in 1995, WOLF was among the first bands to resurrect and rejuvenate the traditional heavy metal sound in the '90s, when the genre was considered dead. Inspired by classic heavy metal bands from the '70s and '80s, WOLF laid the groundwork for the genre's triumphant return in subsequent years. Over the course of their nine albums, the band has been seen by many as the originators of the new wave of traditional heavy metal.
"Hour Of The Wolf" is an uncompromising release that stays true to WOLF's roots while expanding the sound of classic heavy metal.
WOLF has never tried to sound modern, or even retro, and has proven time and again that they follow no trends. They simply stick to their vision of what heavy metal should be.
WOLF vocalist and guitarist Niklas Stålvind comments: "We wanted to make an album that could fit on one side of a 90-minute cassette tape, just like the albums used to back in the day. Our goal was to create an album that you would want to listen to from start to finish and then play again. I think we accomplished that. It's diverse enough without losing the classic WOLF sound."
Regarding "Death Satellite", Niklas states: "This one is a straight-up banger, with all the elements that make up the classic WOLF sound. If you heard us before, you will instantly recognize the sound within seconds. While our A.I. overlords have their algorithms planting thoughts in our brains, we offer some old-school, manmade metal so we won't go insane. As usual, the lyrics has some deeper meaning and food for thought, but most of all the song is meant for fist raising headbanging and good times."
The "Death Satellite" video was directed by Cannes Film award winner Snovonne "Sno" Drake, who also directed another, soon-to-be-released video for this album.
Today, WOLF also kicks off the album pre-order for "Hour Of The Wolf", which will be made available on CD and three different vinyl editions: red/yellow marbled, red/black splatter (including signed autograph card and indie exclusive) and blue marbled (Scandinavia exclusive),and digital.
Everything about WOLF is authentic. Thomas Holm, who created most of the previous WOLF front covers as well as iconic artworks like "Don't Break The Oath" and "Melissa" (MERCYFUL FATE) and "Abigail" and "Them" (KING DIAMOND),once again created the eye-catching artwork.
Niklas says: "I told him the album title, the song titles, and the mood of the album. The oil paintings are his visual interpretations of our music. His work is the antidote to the increasingly common A.I. 'art'. We are the real deal, and we want the real deal."
WOLF keeps it in the family. They recorded the entire album in their own studios and bassist Pontus Egberg took on the role as producer.
"We're fortunate to have so much talent in the band. We don't need to outsource anything," says Niklas. He adds, "Pontus is a very good musician, and he's much more structured than I am. That gave me the freedom to focus more on the artistic side of it all."
Egberg's part, who joined WOLF in 2019, becomes more important than ever. The bassist, who is also a member of KING DIAMOND, among other bands, is more than happy with the organic result.
"Throughout the whole production process, Niklas and I had a very close collaboration, blurting ideas back and forth that I then tried to realize in the mix and the stellar performances from Johan, Simon and Niklas made the production flow very smoothly," Pontus says.
The lyrical inspiration is totally varied and could come from books, movies, or imagined stories.
"I want to write entertaining songs," Niklas says. "Often, I see images in my mind from the music and lyrics. I try not to get in the way of the music and let the songs take me for a ride." The title track "Hour Of The Wolf" is the perfect example.
"Pontus sent me a demo with most of the music for 'Hour Of The Wolf', and I instantly got images in my head," Niklas says. "I live far out in the Swedish countryside and have a Scandinavian forest right outside my door. I take walks in the forest almost every day. There's a certain feeling on a starlit winter night or an early autumn morning, with the fog rolling in over the fields. I think that inspired me the most for that song."
"Hour Of The Wolf" tracklist
1. Death Satellite
2. The Music of Erich Zann
3. Walpurgis Night
4. Streets of Necropolis
5. Waltz Post-Mortem
6. Hour of the Wolf
7. Above the Fallen
8. Doppelgänger
9. Dirty Little Secret
