POWERWOLF – Discography Ranking

Within the borders of Power Metal, if we place recent music next to that of the golden 90s, I am sure it will not go well. But if we alter the topic to popularity in 2024, POWERWOLF would surely win a spot in the top 3, next to HELLOWEEN and SABATON. 

They have found the perfect recipe for success and faithfully follow it for more than 10 years, adding more value to their name in the process. That recipe includes a specific image and lyrical themes, very strong and professional live performances, but most of all, a focused structure of songs that mainly allows short and direct compositions, full of memorable melodies that are created with the purpose of being hits. 

They have some arrows in their quiver that allow them to stand out from everyone else. Vocalist Attila Dorn is one of them, with his powerful voice allowing for operatic and theatrical performances, because you can’t go far without a good frontman. At his side, we have the other restless member of the band, keyboardist Falk Maria Schlegel. Not only is his church organ sound a staple of every POWERWOLF record, but his presence is a core part of any show, competing with Attila for who triggers crowd participation more. 

Along with the two founding members, the Greywolf brothers, they have created an inseparable core that is unchanged since the band’s inception in 2003. Their drummer Roel van Helden is not a newbie either, being a member of the team since 2011. This unity is something that allows them to stay focused without distractions, an important factor for their quick and stable growth.     

At this point the band is essentially a brand, which somehow restricts their creative liberties.  The more experimental they will be, higher the risk of alienating their numerous followers. On the flipside you know that everything they do, will be accompanied with sheer quality and attention to every last detail, be it a concert or a new record. 

Of course there is not a bad entry in the list, perhaps with the exception of the debut that is different -not bad-, so any point can serve as an introduction line with the band. That said, some nail the POWERWOLF formula better than others. Let’s see how this line up, that lacks surprises but overflows with good songs, ends up in terms of internal competition!

9) Return in Bloodred (2005)

An album that is very close to classic Heavy Metal, with songs reminding you of OZZY OSBOURNE. As we said, it is different with some theatrical elements being present, but the known POWERWOLF element is not yet born. There are great songs like ‘Mr. Sinister’, ‘Kiss of the Cobra King’ and ‘Montecore’ that come to mind first. The first two minutes of ‘Son of the Morning Star’ are a huge spoiler for the future and Attila’s performance stops your breath, but I cannot forgive how it is wasted by the spoken part that comes after. Despite the good parts, “Return in Bloodred” is the last thing that will surface when a POWERWOLF conversation pops up and there are reasons for that! 

8) Blood of the Saints (2011)

I believe this is where the POWERWOLF started leaning heavily on the formula they are known for today. It produced some hits like ‘Sanctified with dynamite’ and ‘We drink your blood’ but they cannot compare with some of the band’s later works. I am very fond of the second part where my favorites ‘Dead boys don’t cry’ and ‘Son of a wolf’ reside. Not bad, but what was done here was perfected in the next entries. 

7) Preachers of the Night (2013)

Here comes the better version of “Blood of the saints”, as the follow up brings more hits and a more solid final result. At this point, the album you learnt POWERWOLF with, could easily end up as your favorite. I experienced them as they were released, so in hindsight “Preachers of the night” may not be favorite, but I definitely has some loved songs such as ‘Cardinal sin’. It is a great thing if all your records are good, but when they are identical I will just move on to the better alternatives that are met later in this list.  

6) Call of the Wild (2021)

The band has achieved great levels of maturity at this point and their ability to come with memorable melodies is not to be questioned. Some of the songs here are among the band’s best, like ‘Dancing with the dead’, ‘Alive or undead’ and ‘Varcolac’. The thing is that as we progress with the tracklist, I find some less flashy moments on the later half. The fact that “Call of the wild” succeeds the peaks that are “Blessed & possessed” & “The sacrament of sin”, make it a little rougher in comparison. This is also the first time where I find that the repetition of the same recipe starts to become an issue. 

5) Wake up the Wicked (2024)

The most recent addition, we covered it extensively in the review, but let’s summarize. The paradoxical part is that overall I prefer it over the albums in above spots, but at the same time I find it carries the most issues in a POWERWOLF release. It guarantees a fun listen and is tight as a whole, so as a single product its value is high. The problems lie that on top of being one of the same, this time I find strong similarities between songs with the rest of the discography and unless something changes, I predict a decline in the wolves’ future works. I expect much more from one of the genre’s leaders, but If I say I do not enjoy “Wake up the wicked” every time I listen to it, that would be a lie.   

4) Lupus Dei (2007)

The sophomore is direct like “Return in bloodred” but much more refined and features a collection of songs where it is really hard to find a filler candidate. It is a pity, yet understandable, that it is not represented that much during the band’s recent live shows, but it holds up really well even for today. It is also one of the few chances we have to experience a part of POWERWOLF that deviates from the composition restrictions their recent works have. 

3) Blessed & Possessed (2015)

After some albums that got increasingly better, it was only a matter of time until they hit bullseye. Not only are the first songs some of the best the group has ever released, but the later tracks are excellent as well leading us to a very solid release start to finish. No need to name specific tracks, perhaps with the exception of “Armata Strigoi” that is one the best POWERWOLF songs ever!

2) Bible of the Beast (2009)

This album is top tier! First of all it is diverse, at least to the extent that a POWERWOLF record is allowed to be, which is not much, but more compared to the rest of the discography. It is also a record that is not loaded with the best tracks on the first half, but they are placed across the spots, with ‘Werewolves of Armenia’ and ‘Resurrection by erection’ occupying slots 7 and 9. Why is it important? Because it was a time that the band did not have to maintain a “genre leader” status by ticking some boxes and everything feels more natural and less forced. Even if you have learnt by heart the later entries of the discography, it is highly advised that “Bible of the beast” will not be left unchecked.  

1) The Sacrament of Sin (2018)

Declaring a record from this band a favorite, is controversial considering the similarities between each one. For me this is the best iteration of their formula both in individual songs and as a total. Bonus points go to the cover that is my favorite from them. The bad thing is that is stands as a beacon of comparison that overshadows the albums that came after! 

Pavlos Pavlakis