‘Shadowland’ initially escaped my attention when it was released last year. Possibly because of the big wave of quality releases at the time, but the fact that Wolf’s recent albums did not manage to impress me quite as much as ‘Ravenous’ (2009) and especially ‘Legion of Bastards’ (2011) did was likely a contributing factor as well. However, ‘Shadowland’ might just be Wolf’s best release so far. It is a fair bit darker than the updated formula on traditional heavy metal that the Swedes have come to be known for, but it is still clearly a work of the same band.

One of the things that made me gravitate towards Wolf more than some of their peers was the fact that they are more than just the umpteenth Maiden or Priest clone. The influences are clearly there, but they did always try to adjust those riffs and harmonies to their own liking. On ‘Shadowland’, the riff work occasionally brings Mercyful Fate to mind. The compositions aren’t quite as complex and I’d take Niklas Stålvind’s vocals over King Diamond’s any day, but the riffs and melodies create a similar atmosphere without sounding too much like the Danes. That’s where the excellent songwriting comes in.

Although the first two paragraphs suggest that ‘Shadowland’ sounds radically different than Wolf’s other recent releases, that isn’t exactly true. The album is still chock-full of uncomplicated, yet not overly simple heavy metal of the traditional ilk, but something just works better this time around. First off, the darker riffs really push Stålvind to a better vocal performance. Also, the production feels very natural and organic without sounding contrivedly old school. ‘Shadowland’ is a contemporary metal production without the processed characteristics that usually come with such an approach. The well-rounded bottom end makes the album an incredibly pleasant listen.

Picking highlights from ‘Shadowland’ is difficult, because it is a highly consistent album that has a very good flow and is therefore best listened to in one setting. ‘Dust’ was an excellent pick to open the album, however, as it is uptempo, to-the-point and gives a fairly good impression of what the album is going to sound like. ‘Evil Lies’ is another more concise, uptempo song that will bring a smile to the face of anyone who followed Wolf for a while. ‘The Ill-Fated Mr. Mordrake’ has a really cool interaction between the guitar riff and the subtle keyboards and ‘Exit Sign’ has a cool NWOBHM meets proto-thrash vibe.

To be completely honest, I did not expect Wolf to have an album as good as ‘Shadowland’ in them anymore. Those expecting the exuberant choruses of the likes of ‘Speed On’ might be disappointed, but in place of that comes something that might just be much more engaging for a much longer time. ‘Shadowland’ definitely has a lot of replay value, which is helped by the songwriting, the great production and the fact that Stålvind and Simon Johansson never disappoint when it comes to excellent, yet functional guitar work. Definitely check this out if pretentious modern metal bands exhaust you.

Recommended tracks: ‘Dust’, ‘Evil Lies’, ‘Shadowland’, ‘Visions for the Blind’