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Germany's Powerwolf has been kicking around for well over 10 years releasing solid, crunchy Power Metal albums every odd year. Like 2013's Preachers of the Night, Blessed & Possessed continues the trend of Powerwolf becoming more and more like Sabaton to the point where it's a little scary. Singer Attila Dorn growls and shouts like Joakim Broden, the choruses are full of layered melodies and choirs of voices, the riffs are punchy and the keyboards round everything into shape. The songwriting is a step up from the last album and sing-a-long choruses can be found on many tracks, notably "Blessed & Possessed," "Dead Until Dark" and my favorite "Christ & Combat." The band's fascination with the Christian religion is in plain view (with plenty of Latin for emphasis) though it is mostly in a historical context ("Christ & Combat" is about the Crusades, for example). Some may find it a bit heavy-handed but it takes nothing away from the rest of the Power Metal goodness.

If you like Sabaton it is hard to imagine you not liking Blessed & Possessed.