In 2012, Blood Of The Wolf was spawned in Chicago, Illinois. They released a two song demo in 2013, their first full length in 2015, and are to unleash their third onslaught of Blackened Death Metal this year, 2018, on April 7th.
“II. Campaign of Extermination” opens up with “Thunder The Drums of War” which is a short introduction that only gives a brief preview into what the album has in store. It picks up on second track “Campaign of Extermination” which brings a pummeling riff that anyone will find themselves headbanging to. The guitar work on this album is most definitely a highlight, the riffs do not stop. They perfectly compliment the drum and bass work, giving the album a complete and well composed feel. Another piece of this album that truly made me enjoy it was the vocals. Heavy, low, booming, yet audible screaming that reminded me of a rougher, lower, better version of modern Behemoth. The band really show their abilities to make their audience bang their head throughout this entire album, my personal favorite moment being in the 5th track, “The Sword is my Light and Salvation.”
The album concludes with the epic “A Sermon of Slaughtered Foes.” The track begins with a slow chug that slowly leads into a violent riff and a vocal attack from the frontman. Nearing of the track, the instruments slow and an acoustic guitar comes into the foreground, and creates a great dynamic when the main instruments rejoin the track. I believe here the band at their fullest potential.
As a whole, this album brings the riffs, violent drumming, heavy vocals, and a constant need to heabang. At 8 tracks long, the album does not really overstay its welcome with me and is a pleasant listen from front to back. I would like to see more versatility in the next album, as I believe they could benefit from some. The band by no means break the wheel, but they don’t need to. I can easily see this band going far if they continue growing as a whole
