Wolf at The Underworld
Photos by Warren Zanin
There is nothing that can bring forth a horde of biker jackets like the raucous ringing of traditional metal, and tonight Camden’s Underworld did just that. Wolf, supported by Elimination and Cauldron, entertained fans with the mega riffs and guitar solos that serve the dramatic story telling that is synonymous with the metal trends of the early 80s. The band is known to thrive on the essentiality of crowd connection at live performances and the Swedish quartet deliver a show at an extra-frenzied pace, rendering singer Niklas ‘Viper’ Stalvind’s reminder “we are crazy about heavy fucking metal” redundant – um … duh!
As the foursome burst onto stage sporting Anvil shirts, the band’s dedication to metal-musos of old is made paramount. There is no dilly dallying on this night, as Wolf launch into Speed Up with a ravenous appetite dictated by adrenaline and driven by the lust to perform. Both predator and prey long to be satiated, and with a bite from Wolf, the crowd’s hunger for more is aggravated rather than appeased. The anthemic energy of The Bite (second song of the night) draws in any sojourners in and around the venue with brutal words that metal fans of all spectrums will relate to:
The hunger I can’t hide
Is burning in my heart
Never satisfied
And I’m looking for
The Bite – The thrill of it all
The Bite – The ultimate high
Even a sound glitch that renders Stalvind’s guitar momentarily obsolete does not interrupt the momentum of the band’s performance and the crowd’s enthusiasm. The setlist (Speed On, The Bite, I Will Kill Again, Hail Caesar, Electric Raga, Curse You Salem, Voodoo, Genocide, Evil Star, Children of the Black Flame, Venom, In the Shadow of Steel) spans the band’s career and climaxes with the ominous chanting of “Voodoo” that penetrates the souls of all in sundry. The cries of “Wolf Wolf” that echo from the audience between each song are no defamation but rather a nod of approval to a band that has been around for fifteen years. When an appreciative Stalvind says, “people were laughing at us back in the 90s, but no one is laughing now” the audience erupts into a manic outburst of acknowledgement.
Final song of the evening In the Shadow of Steel leaves fans rearing to battle dragons and attack dark forces in quests of maiden-rescue. This ‘spirit of the vanquishing knight’ is accompanied by post-gig wonderment at the sustainability of the beautifully manicured hair of Stalvind and bassist Anders ‘Tornado’ Modd, which has maintained its silky smooth appearance after an hour and a half of relentless head-banging. This is no mean feat according to the standards of metal hair styling. Side note: in my opinion, it all comes down to a great conditioner.
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Tags: Anders ‘Tornado’ Modd, Caildron, Camden Underworld, Elimination, Niklas ‘Viper’ Stalvind, Traditional metal, Wolf
