Victim Of The Spotlight

White Wolf

This is another band added to the 'underated' ones list. WHITE WOLF, hailing from Canada, […]
By Grigoris Chronis
July 25, 2007
White Wolf - Victim Of The Spotlight album cover

This is another band added to the 'underated' ones list. WHITE WOLF, hailing from Canada, was formed in 1980, released two classy albums - Standing Alone (1984) and Endangered Species (1986) - and then split up. And now, twenty(!) years later, here it comes: a third album destined to eat dust in record stores, even if it stands way up ahead lots of similar(?) releases of the times. C' est la vie...
Canada stands for good music. Be it RUSH or INFERNAL MAJESTY, SAGA or RAZOR, HONEYMOON SUITE or PILEDRIVER, you know you can trust these folks. When WHITE WOLF released their debut album in 1984, they were already known - in local level - as an amazing cover band. Still, Standing Alone exposed the quintet's own songwriting talent. A mix of American 'real' Hard Rock (APRIL WINE, LEGS DIAMOND, 'primitive' DOKKEN) with British/German Rock/Metal music (MAGNUM, RAINBOW, SINNER, JUDAS PRIEST), Standing Alone - as well as their Endangered Species sophomore release - saw good songs in plain rhythms, enriched with great hooks, amazing guitar work and some emotional yet 'metal' vocals by Don Wolf. The Endangered Species album features a take on MAGNUM's Just Like An Arrow classic, by the way.
Little did WHITE WOLF members come up with after the band split up in 1987. Don Wolf released the Making Changes solo album in 1992, while he participated in the PROJECT X one-off band's Blueprint For Xcess CD in the late 90s. Not that much of s-xcess, any way...But, to the bone: Victim Of The Spotlight is honest. And it smells good. If you ever had a good time with WHITE WOLF - assume you're over 30, right? - the album will not disappoint you. No way!
The same-titled opening track starts off with an expected howl, to be exchanged with a sharp riff accompanied with a fast-rolling groove. Remember DIO's Night People mood or SINNER's fast songs' vibe? That's the feeling! Wonderful keys give a helping head, too. The Wolf is epic, mid-tempo and features some great lead fill-ups, in a symphonic way. The RAINBOW/MAGNUM legacy...On the contrary, America (Hello Again) chills out things, with some groovy atmosphere all around; 'mainstream' SAGA came to mind. And what a great AOR-ish solo...The Eyes Of The World carries on the same mood, even if speeding things up a little bit...be it the title or the idea, it kinda reminded me of RAINBOW's Eyes OF The World underrated 1979 'gem'. A total 'killer' solo comes up again, with beautiful keys backups in the meantime...
One More Lie - so far the best tune off the new album - sees a roaring 80s riff assembling a wonderful vocal performance by Don, pointing out a 'night drive' feeling. Canadian 80s Hard rock at its best! Still' I'd not point out the same feeling for the follow-up, Hard Cold Stone. The song is a goodie, but I do not dig such a Don Wolf vocal approach. Thankfully, Price Of One stands as a totally 'classic' early 80s Euro Metal hymn, with sharp riffs and a banging 4/4 ACCEPT-ish tempo, while the chorus reminded me of Swedish melodic Metal heroes TREAT's Sole Survivor landmark cut. The same status goes on with Dreams Are Forever.
Nightmares slows things down in a non-nervous track that features 'personal' singing (lead & backing one) plus sweet keys. A real 'touching' TRIUMPH-supported tune. As for Hold On (Getting Tighter), I enjoyed the same atmosphere, even if the chorus is 'pop' enough. Still, the couple/bridge are killers! Don't Turn Away brings up the pomp/AOR (the MAGNUM way?) vibe again, still unveiling some great 'retro' guitar leads that will drive 30-year-old+ fans crazy! Out Of Control appears to be wrapping up the album in a rather unusual way; I expected a ballad and I received a RIOT-influenced (meaning Ritchie Blackmore's fast times?) straightforward cut the same way the same-titled opening tune was. Good, good, good!
A track-by-track review is not bad at times, agree? WHITE WOLF and Victim Of The Spotlight should seek for old-school fans' ears, cause I don't see much of enthusiasm from juvenile followers. A good return, by all means. I dig it.

7 / 10

Good

"Victim Of The Spotlight" Track-listing:

Victim of the Spotlight
The Wolf
America (Hello again)
The Eyes Of The World
One More Lie
Hard Cold Stone
Price Of One
Dreams Are Forever
Nightmares
Hold On (Getting Tighter)
Don't Turn Away
Out Of Control

White Wolf Lineup:

Don Wolf - Vocals
Cam Macleod - Lead Guitars, Vocals
Martin Kronlund - Guitars
Imre Daun - Drums
Rikard Quist - Bass, Keyboards

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