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I bought this not long after Wolf's self-titled debut, with which I was quite pleased. Black Wings, however, didn't have the same immediate effect on me and I quickly put it aside with hope that I'd "get it" at a later date - after all, sometimes we're just not in the right mood...

Upon listening to Black Wings several times, there are still hints of my first impression of the album. It's not as catchy as the debut was, the songs just don't grab me as much as they did on the debut. I think it is just a matter of most of the compositions not being as straightforward this time around, rather than being a matter of the album being not as good as the debut. It's more a matter of it being different, although the basic elements remain: Total 80s Maiden worship (but distancing themselves a little more with this release), in-your-face fast-paced no-frills heavy metal. The vocals remain the exact same style as they were on the debut - high-pitched (maybe a little too much at times) and very much in line with the music.. I don't know why but I feel like these vocals would annoy the hell out of me if they were associated with music from another band, but here they fit like a glove. A weird feeling. Wolf play classic heavy metal and they do it right - solos and memorable melodies, lots of hooks, hell: The works. I don't know what these Swedish guys eat for breakfast, but I wish there were more bands like this one around. As a bonus, there's a good cover of King Diamond's "A Dangerous Meeting". The very high-pitched style of the vocalist adds even more credibility to the cover.

Fans of the highly-acclaimed Wolf debut may feel a little let down with Black Wings, but I think there's enough in here to keep most of them happy. Those on the other hand who might have found the first offering a bit too simplistic (for lack of a better word) can possibly find something of interest this time around. Either way, this is a good album by a band that asks nothing but to play the style of music they love. This album gives me my daily recommended heavy metal fix. Oh, and they didn't go for the weird cover art this time. :) Recommended.