WOLVESPIRIT
Bullshit
Spirit Stone Records
It’s a brave move to call your album “Bullshit”. Even braver to base your concept on the word, for it has many connotations, none of them positive. But then WOLVESPIRIT aren’t looking to make friends here. Instead, they are using the song to act as a “stop sign against crude false reports”, a rallying cry against the parallel digital realities that millions find themselves drawn into daily. There’s more about the issue at the link here.
Active since 2010, the Würzburg quintet’s new album is a curious affair. If I’m right, this is their sixth album, and it presents a range of styles that doesn’t fit neatly into any one category. Opener “Titanium” crosses the traditional heavy metal boundaries, raising banners high. It’s followed by the disjointed “Robots”, which features some stilted and questionable rapping from singer Debbie Craft. It’s a jarring track that really does not do the band any favours. It also highlights some weaknesses in the songwriting and vocal strength.
The title track is a more cohesive track, although the raging gang chants at the start don’t excite. Craft’s warbling delivery has shades of the legendary Black Oak Arkansas frontman Jim Dandy, albeit in female form. It’s a song that you can singalong to after one listen, and despite the rudimentary format (not to mention a riff or two that appears to be borrowed from Deep Purple circa “Perfect Strangers”), it’s enjoyable enough to keep listening.
Move through the album and you’ll find a real kaleidoscope of forms. There’s the industrial stomp of “Dragon Age” which is dominated by synths and one pulsing riff, or the short, vibrant “Fire”, a smouldering piece which takes a more melancholic and restrained approach, despite the driving rhythm and keys. It’s difficult at this stage in the album to determine if this is the best track here, or one of the worst. It’s certainly one of the most dramatic and is over in under three-minutes.
I’ll be honest. I’m not sold on Craft’s vocals. For me they are the weak link in the band, and whilst she can hold a note, her style is abrasive and somewhat challenging throughout. It is, however, very distinctive and may give the band a more memorable sound than your traditional growler or alto soprano.
The middle part of the album drifts along, passing you by at times. It’s easy to be distracted from it, because the songs aren’t particularly gripping. “Starborn” is memorable for the wrong reasons, partly because of the obvious steal of the opening riff from Eurythmics‘ “Sweet Dreams” and mainly because Craft’s vocals struggle once more, and despite the admirable support of layered backing vocals, and some sci-fi edged synthesizers, there isn’t anything that grabs the attention here. Things get a bit heavier on “Screaming”, with Oliver Wolfheart’s thick organ work at least adding heft.
At 48-minutes, “Bullshit” is tolerable although it is a struggle at times. “666” isn’t great, a rather uncomfortable listen if truth be told, but there is something hidden in bonus track “The Joker” that is at least interesting.
Overall, I’m afraid this is an album that isn’t going to be pulling WOLVESPIRIT above the level of also-ran. It’s not one that I’ll be returning to in 2025, and despite the odd flash of something special, it rarely lifts itself about the average. It may not be bullshit, but it’s no shiny diamond either.
Paul Hutchings