TRESPASS – Wolf At The Door

As a follow-up to Footprints in the Rock (2018), New Wave of British Heavy Metal band Trespass are back with their fourth studio album titled Wolf at the Door. Like many bands of their time, they’ve hit a lot of rough spots in their career. First of all, Trespass’ first studio album, Head, wasn’t even released until 1993. Then, their second self-titled studio album wasn’t released until 2015. It’s a miracle that it didn’t take them another decade to release their third studio album, which was the previously mentioned Footprints in the Rock.

To be fair, it must not have been easy trying to get big during the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement, considering that it only lasted for a few years in the early ‘80s. Trends come and go, and unfortunately, Trespass ended up being one of those bands that just sank afterwards. However, they are troopers for continuing to release new music regardless of the current trends. They’ve still got their “I don’t care what people think” attitude and can still rock like they did back in the ‘80s.

The Good and the Bad

Wolf at the Door kicks off with “Blackthorn;” it’s a typical rocker with a piercing guitar riff and pounding drums. Surprisingly, the best songs on the album are the more melodic ones such as “Back to the Woods” and “Stranger in Paradise.” The latter has great harmonies, good lyrics, and an emotive guitar solo. “Live Like a King” is a headbanger with a solid drum beat and a fun chorus to sing-along to. The album closes with the title track, which is not a bad way to do so. It has a thumping bass line, a great guitar riff, and a killer groove.

As for the downsides, the second half of the album is stronger than the first half. The songwriting could’ve been touched upon better too. For example, the choruses for most of the tracks repeat the song title over and over again, which some bands can pull off. But with a singer that just has an average voice, Trespass can’t make it work. The instrumentation doesn’t work either because “Ghost Pilot” sounds almost exactly the same as “Daggers Drawn.” Same melodies, but different lyrics.

The production on Wolf at the Door could’ve been a little more polished, as well. The songs already feel dated because of the songwriting and Sutcliffe’s poor vocals, but modern production would’ve helped out a lot. Not just that, but the drums are really loud on the album and interestingly enough, Sutcliffe’s vocals are pretty soft in the mix. Whether that was done on purpose or was a total accident, who knows.

Final Assessment

For fans of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal sound, Trespass’ Wolf at the Door is a decent release. But for listeners that are looking for originality that incorporates old school Heavy Metal into their music, this isn’t the album to get.

Album Tracklist

1. Blackthorn
2. Daggers Drawn
3. Force of Nature
4. Other Worlds
5. Ghost Pilot
6. Back to the Woods
7. Crooked Cross
8. Unsinkable
9. Stranger in Paradise
10. Live Like a King
11. Wolf at the Door

Band Lineup

Mark Sutcliffe – guitars / lead vocals
Joe Fawcett – guitars
Wil Wilmot – bass guitar
Jason Roberts – drums