Illinois seems to have quite the Metal scene and Chicago based BLOOD OF THE WOLF is one of the bands that are emerging from it.  They are a Blackened Death band with a lot of energy and personality. In addition to this EP, they also have two full lengths and a demo.   This little EP, "III: Blood Legend," is absolutely devastating.  Their Facebook page proclaims, "No corpse pain, no costumes, no bullshit!"  With a statement like that, I expect straight to the point, balls to the wall, one hundred percent Blackened Death Metal with razor sharp precision.

And that is exactly what is presented here within the 18-minute run-time of the four tracks. Immediately I am thrown back to the glory days of DECAPITATED;  Rick's drumming is fast, furious, and as intense as any other Death Metal I've heard this year.  His footwork especially gives the band a brutal, full sound. The drum intensity is what opens up the first track, "Shadow of Shadows," a high-octane opener that gets the brutal ball rolling immediately.  MIKE and FRANK's guitar tones are perfect as are the deep growls that still sound intelligible.  About halfway thru the track, the band slows things down a bit for a clean mid-section.  This is perhaps the most impressive aspect of the band: despite their brutal nature, they refuse to let things get monotonous by applying just enough clean and melodic moments to keep interest high and the listener guessing.  However, it isn't over-done and the band's sound remains firmly in the "will smash your body to piece," camp.

The second track, "Son Of Blood Oath," is ignited by both deep growls and Blackened screams as the music just pushes over buildings atop the ears.  The song's middle portion is the definition of heavy, bloody, carnage."Progenitor," is my favorite on the album because it really balances Death and Black elements.  Mike's vocals are really on fire here-a guttural Blackened snarl that matches the intensity of the riffs. The guitars play some of their best riffs on this track and they ramp up intensity as the bass and drums just get harder and harder.  This song is a nonstop crescendo of all things brutal and twisted.

The final track, "Fire Serpent," is laden with Grime's deadly use of the bass.  Seriously, in his hands, the bass guitar becomes a weapon capable of severing heads in one fell swoop.  The guitars quickly switch between raw fury of Black Metal and the pulverizing tendencies of Death metal.  Just before halfway through, the band reaches this cadence where everything falls into place and they fire on all cylinders.

I have to say, I was very impressed with this band and EP.  Of course, I wish it was longer and I hope they have another full length soon.  One of the better Death Metal bands I have come across lately and this is an EP you will want to add to your collection if you're a fan of older BEHEMOTH, BELPHEGOR, and early DECAPITATED.