I believe we all agree on the fact that the Pagan Metal scene has been slowly but steadily making its way up gathering more metalheads with each album. It is also a common knowledge that this specific genre has two major branches; the first (and the oldest one) is the more Metal oriented with distinct Black Metal foundations while the second features many folk additions and most of the times strange sounding (and difficult to pronounce) music instruments. WOLFCHANT belong to the first category and judging by the formation year (2005) it has been around quite a while.
My first acquaintance with this German based band was with Pagan Storm released one year ago. Then, I had come to the conclusion that WOLFCHANT was nothing special and was just following the existing recipes made for this sound by the more known bands. I did not find their music bad, but there was nothing to connect to and eventually enjoy. So, as you understand I was rather skeptic about reviewing Determined Damnation in case I was prejudiced and consequently unfair to the band. But things cannot go as one wishes and Determined Damnation found itself in my CD player. Let's see what happened...
The first thing I noticed with the album opener, was that the band added more melody to the music without loosing an inch in terms of heaviness. The double guitar harmonies and the groovy rhythms in World In Ice were the very first taste of the album. ENSIREFUM came to my mind and later on I smiled with pleasure since RUNNING WILD surfaced up in the influences list. Yes, the band uses the fast guitar riffs with repetitive riff structures that adds power and overall solid rhythmic section. The vocals are where I left them with Pagan Storm; Black Metal oriented screams with slightly less evilness and more sing-along moments.
The use of sampled sounds kind of spoil the overall Metal feeling and their use should be re-considered for the future release. Adding to that is the sometimes electronic sounding drums (drum machine?) that sound really strange in the Pagan oriented compositions. The lets-drink-and-go-to-war atmosphere is found everywhere and this is a 'must' in similar albums. WOLFCHANT have solidified their sound with less distinct influences and very interesting RUNNING WILD finishing touches. Songs like Determined Damnation (nice solo here), In War (excellent double guitar harmonies) or the German 'speaking' tune Kein Engel Hort Dich Flehen (hearty headbanging galloping rhythm) are some of the things that I really enjoyed here. Add to the aforementioned highlights the fitting clean guitar breaks in Never Drunk (killer title) and Warcry and then you have the complete picture through my eyes (or should I say ears?)
I think that Determined Damnation has what Pagan Storm was missing; the old school Pagan attitude that goes hand in hand with the killer guitar riffs. Of course, don't expect miracles but do expect a strong Pagan Metal album especially if you are a fan of this sound. If only they had taken care of the sound production more and avoid all the electronic sounds that (sorry guys) remind me of PC war games. So, one step forward for the German band and one good album for all the Pagan lovers.
PS: It's time for the record labels to stop using 'voice-overs' there is absolutely no meaning plus it is way annoying!