AMOTH – The Hour Of The Wolf

The Wolves come out at 3 am

The wolf seems to be still an inspiring figurehead for Heavy Metal artists. The fascinating dimension of the animal as well as its resonance with Mankind’s deepest fears has surely something to do with it. And it’s no wonder the beast continues to ornate our favourite albums cover. With a cover worthy of the 1970s Horror movies, Amoth delivers their third album The Hour of The Wolf. With still a classic Heavy Metal sound, this new album blends melodies and progressive touches, for a very convincing result.

Deep into the woods with Alice

“Alice” is a good opening for an album. The song is setting the tone for a classic heavy metal with old-style sound and hard-rock influences: catchy chorus, a bit cheesy. The name Alice is also imbued with some symbolism. Alice is per excellence the rebel child too curious about everything. Apart from these trivial and borderline astrological considerations, it is a good song.

And then… you can have the impression that something went wrong in the recording, that “Alice” was, in fact, a song from another band, since the style changes from then on. Tunes are much heavier, the singing style more aggressive and any cheesiness had been thrown overboard and replaced by a tragic sense the world is ending. “The Man Who Watch The World Burns” and “Wounded Faith” are here to prove that the fun part is over. Both songs are complementary and might remind you of old Iced Earth songs. The alternation between mid-tempi choruses and progressive rhythmics is efficient. It is particularly nice to hear the bass properly.

The two parts instrumental “Wind Serenade” show definite skills in composition. Although it can seem strange to find them in the middle of the album (the order of the songs is not the most evident). These two songs are a great way to display their various influences and to set a more contemplative mood for the album.” Traces in the Snow” is a lovely ballad, not boring at all, with discreet chimes and piano. To end things in beauty, “The Hour of The Wolf” reconciles all the aspects of this album in a dark yet compelling storytelling.

No sheep in wolf’s clothing

As the album progresses, you have this feeling that Amoth put the emphasis on the instrumental parts rather than the singing. From so catchy a beginning, this record is not taking you where you expected it to. The journey is more emotional than you thought it would be. The singing style, which at first could seem a bit raw and not polished, is in fact a good match for the lyrics.  The variety of atmospheres is to be admired. The Hour of the Wolf will be a nice way to start the year.