WOLF - release second new single and video "Waltz Post-Mortem"
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Swedish band WOLF stands for traditional 80s inspired heavy metal in its purest form. With their upcoming 10th studio album, „Hour of the Wolf“, the cult band cements its importance and high standing within the metal scene.
Today, WOLF release their second new single & videoclip for the track "Waltz Post-Mortem". It is a true heavy metal anthem, that also outskirts of their universe and sounds very fresh and versatile. "Like a waltz, the chorus is in ¾ time, which musically fit the lyrics very well", says vocalist/guitarist Niklas Stålvind.
„Each section of the song is very different from the other, and the arrangement of the song is unusual as well as the song builds up to a climax, then the song parts are reversed and leads back to the beginning again. The twin guitar harmonies are swirling around in different layers like leaves in the wind on a graveyard. If you want to take a skeleton out of your closet and dance with it – this is the song to do it to“, explains Niklas Stålvind.
The video for „Waltz Post-Mortem“ was directed by Daniel Wahlström of Heavy Groove Media, who also previously did ”Midnight Hour”, ”Feeding the Machine”, ”The Ill-Fated Mr. Mordrake” and ”Shadowland” with WOLF.
Niklas Stålvind comments: ”The video is more of a short film, than a traditional music video, and this is how I see the songs in my head really, like images and little moving pictures. We shot the scenes in a old ghost house in the middle of the woods, not far from where I live. I found this weird place 19 years ago and I always wanted to do something with it for WOLF. This was the perfect opportunity. Enjoy!“
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.
Their upcoming tenth album, „Hour of the Wolf“, will be released on November 20th, and is an uncompromising release that stays true to the band’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. "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," comments vocalist and guitarist Niklas Stålvind on the nine new tracks. „It’s diverse enough without losing the classic Wolf sound.“
"Hour Of The Wolf" will be released on November 20th. You can pre-order it on CD and three different vinyl editions: Red/Yellow Marbled, Red/Black Splatter (incl. 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. "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 AI "art." We are the real deal, and we want the real deal," states the frontman.
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 the vocalist. 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 a.o. 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.”
The lyrical inspiration is totally varied and could come from books, movies, or imagined stories. "I want to write entertaining songs. 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," explains Stålvind, who founded the band in 1995. 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. 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.”
