Single Slam – Wolf to Man by Nightrage (Wolf to Man)

Swedish/Greek melodic death metal band, Nightrage, release the third single, and title track of their new album, Wolf to Man.

Nightrage are currently in a settled position with a full band, dedicated to Nightrage and the quality of music coming out backs that up. As a band they changed so much in lineup since their formation in 2000 with only the iconic Marios Iliopoulos remaining an ever present. With so much change, it’s a wonder they managed to get any music out especially of the quality they achieved. I guess it goes to show that if you chuck enough talented people in a room together, they will probably come up with something.

Nightrage of 2019 are Ronnie Nyman on vocals, Marios Iliopoulos on lead guitars and Magnus Söderman on rhythm guitars. On drums we have Dino George Stamoglou and on the bass its Francisco Escalona.

Wolf to Man, the album, is due for release on the 29th of March via Despotz Records and is the follow up to their excellent release, The Venomous. Read our review of that by following the link.We have already had two singles so far from the new album. They are The Damned and By Darkness Drawn. Read about them by following the links too. Now though, let’s get stuck into the new one.

Wolf to Man is just under 4 minutes long. It sees Nightrage head into darker territory than on the previous singles. Heavy as they were, this track has a little more blackened death to it while retaining Nightrage’s signature groove. Right from the off you get sucked in to the cracking drum beat and drawn out guitar tones. A little melody starts creeping in as the guitars of Marios and Magnus harmonise gently but perfectly. It’s an instant foot tapper, that switches suddenly to a swirling pit rager. A switch in drum pattern, a whack on the bass and suddenly Ronnie Nyman appears spitting venom in his recognisable roar. It’s heavy and catchy with seriously impressive drumming and riffs.

There are tons of backing shouts and roars adding even more power to the already powerful vocals. The chorus hits and brings the groove with a melancholy backing melody and vocals that veer viciously towards blackened death. They are multi-layered and multi-toned adding real fire and fury to the assault.

The second chorus’s end sees the track break down into another show of expert drumming and riffing before we head into the solo. It starts fast and ripping but keeps the same melancholic feeling before descending cautiously into a melodic slow down. A second to catch your breath perhaps? It doesn’t last long though as with a roar of the title “Wolf to Man” we jump straight back into the chorus for a couple repeats through to the end.

Damn. Wolf to Man is an amazing track. It’s so heavy, so layered, so Nightrage. The drums are absolutely mesmerising and are the stand out instrument on this song. As always Nightrage bring riffs and this is no exception with enough groove to snap necks. Ronnie’s vocals seem to get heavier and more powerful with every song he records and the layer upon layer of backing vocals here add an intensity to die for. These guys are on a roll at the moment with unsurpassable quality of output and Wolf to Man is one of their best. The album, Wolf to Man, is shaping up to be a cracker.

Be sure to check this out on all of the usual streaming platforms now. Head over to Despotz Records or the band’s website to preorder what could well be a contender for album of the year in some neat packages. Check out Nightrage at their website, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more information on them, their new album and tours.