Blood of the Saints - Powerwolf - 2011

My whirlwind love affair with Powerwolf has come to an end. I wondered, just a few posts back, how deep the well may be for Powerwolf and the answer: about two albums deep. And those two albums were Return in Bloodred and Lupus Dei. Bible of the Beast made a decent first impression but beneath its sheen it lacked the hooks that filled Lupus Dei. Blood of the Saints is even heavier on the sheen - and even more shallow in terms of lyrical content, hooks and concept worn thin. It's a damn shame, too, as this band was so much fun. It's hard to put my finger on exactly what's wrong with Blood of the Saints and maybe that's because there isn't anything - just nothing very right.  

The theme, if there is one beyond werewolves (and, kinda, vampires?), is religion, I suppose. There's a lot of organ on Blood of the Saints, anyway. "Sanctified with Dynamite" is a respectable opener and holds its own with Powerwolf's prior material. From there on out, though, it's downhill. And less a slide than a boring coast: we've been here before, we've heard this, what else is new?

I know I have previously praised Powerwolf for their excess and demanded "more of the same." Blood of the Saints, though, comes across as a copy of a copy of a copy. The clarity lessens, the details blur. The same sound exists and is easily identifiable but I challenge anyone who has enjoyed their previous records to name a single track apart from "...Dynamite" that they'd like to hear again. Worse than being an outright stinker, it's just boring. All bark, no bite.