Wolfstone
Unleashed

Misty lands beaten by the sea, gentle hills buffeted by the wind, longing for what will not return, and a great desire to drink beer; that's what the Scottish Wolfstone evoke, undoubtedly one of the best "folk" entities of the last decades; however, do not expect fierce battle atmospheres from folk-metal groups, Scotland is painted by these artists with sweetness, joy, love, and much melancholy.

The delicate guitar arpeggio that opens the initial "Cleveland Park" soon blossoms into a fresco of dancing violins, also accompanied by bass and drums, which will make you want to take the nearest person by the arm and dance until you're exhausted; to conclude the song comes a bagpipe that inserts itself into the fantastic melody woven by all the other instruments, creating a true feast for the ears; however, after such a beginning, the atmosphere changes completely in "Song for Yesterday," with an acoustic guitar crafting the sweet and melancholic foundation for the entry of the group's last unused instrument, the voice; and what a voice! A fantastic singer, with a warm and truly evocative tone; a wonderful song, which reaches its zenith with a piercing electric guitar solo halfway through its duration, then concludes on the same violins from the previous song, though now almost sad. The subsequent instrumental "The Silver Spear" is a stunning crescendo of acoustic guitars supported by a great bass, which with the following "Sleepy Toon," also excellent, brings back more serene atmospheres, but again gives way to sadder sensations in "Hector the Hero," built on a heartbreaking violin accompanied by acoustic guitar, then flows into a second part based on bagpipes and almost hard rock electric guitars.

The second part of the album is, in my opinion, even better than what has been heard so far, and opens with "The Howl," the only song on the album exceeding seven minutes in duration (all others remain under six and many even under 4), characterized by continuous theme variations; the following "Here Is Where the Heart Is" is my most favorite song on the album; after a magnificent introduction of violins followed by guitars and bass, Ivan Drever's magnificent voice reappears and moves once again, as in the subsequent "Hard Heart." The concluding "Erin" is another absolute peak of the album, an incredible crescendo of violins and acoustic guitars that superbly closes an almost perfect album.

If you do not know them, listen to them; if you think of folk music merely as something from village fairs, hear them and change your mind, they have a truly uncommon class. I apologize in advance if I dwelled excessively in the track by track, I did so to describe their music as much as possible since they are a group that most will find unknown, but any word is superfluous before such a work, nothing but pure Art.