WOLFSKULL
“Hexum+”
E.P. Review by Iron Mathew

8/10

Wolfskull are a heavy rock band from Germany releasing their debut E.P. ‘Hexum’ in 2019, debut full length album ‘Ave Goddess’ in 2022, and a special edition E.P. ‘Hexum+’ in 2023…

…featuring all four songs from the original ‘Hexum’ E.P. release, plus four live recordings and one brand new song! Fairly weighty for an E.P. but a cracking package nonetheless – the band described by many as dark rock! That said, the first four songs are all infectious and melodic, Wolfskull more than living up to their “heavy rock” tag – E.P. opener and title song ‘Hexum’ a plodding mid tempo stroll with just a mere hint of doom! The bold, raspy vocal style could easily front a Southern rock band, but Wolskull are from Germany – a country that really only knows how to metal, yet in the shape of this five piece band from Essen, rock hard! And heavy!

The band move on with the higher energy and faster tempo of ‘Dark Spirits’, me beginning to wonder where their dark rock descriptor actually came from! Certainly not the bands music, maybe the lyrics, or even their full length album ‘Ave Goddess’ – which, (holing head in hands with shame) I haven’t listened to, prior to listening to ‘Hexum+’. I wanted to listen and review Wolfskull as a first time listener with no preconceptions of how the band sound – which is really fortunate as the first four songs up were written and recorded three years before ‘Ave Goddess’. Funny how things work out eh! And as the E.P. progresses with ‘Robots In Love’, I begin to see a little clearer the bands dark rock description. Woven in to the heavy rock framework, there are hints at doom, the melancholy stroll of Gothic rock, and the gloomy atmosphere of bands such as Danzig, Ghost and early Black Sabbath.

‘Echo Muerto’ is energy laden doom – and I know that sounds an impossibility, yet Wolfskull make it work. And then some! A catchy riff and a highly sing a long-able chorus will keep listeners hooked – hooked to an E.P. that offers a brand new song by way of a bonus, only available on the special edition ‘Hexum+’ release. ‘Rise And Shine’ most definitely sits in the realm of dark rock, lumbering forth with a rich doom laden feel, yet featuring a melodious streak just strong enough to prevent it coming across as gloomy.

The final four songs on offer, are the same as the first four songs – albeit they are live versions from the bands performance at Radio Siegen. And amazingly, all four songs – ‘Hexum’, ‘Dark Spirits’, ‘Robots In Love’ and ‘Echo Muerto’ – appear heavier with a more doom and gloom laden atmosphere than their studio counterparts! So in effect, you have the best of both worlds here – studio and live versions of the same songs all housed in one special edition E.P. ‘Hexum+’. Feel free though, to make up your own mind which versions you prefer.

Overall, a heavy rocking E.P. from Wolfskull, showing the bands prowess in the studio and live on stage.

TRACKLIST

Hexum
Dark Spirits Fly
Robots In Love
Echo Muerto
Rise And Shine
Hexum (Live at Radio Siegen)
Dark Spirits Fly (Live at Radio Siegen)
Robots In Love (Live at Radio Siegen)
Echo Muerto (Live at Radio Siegen)

http://www.wolfskull.rocks/
https://www.facebook.com/wolfskullrocks

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