TRAD. METAL REVIEW - WHITE WOLF - STANDING ALONE (1984)

The Player:
Hard to say. Everyone does their part - and WELL.

The Players:
Les Schwartz, Don Wilk, Cam Mcleod, Rick Nelson, Loris Bolzon

What Is It?
A 1984 traditional metal album that is a definite gem among mid 80s metal releases. This album was released in 1984, and there can be many encouraging similarities found between this, Judas Priest (for proof, listen to "What The War Will Bring") and Queensryche's releases that same year. These similarities are apparent throughout the album, but only increase its value to me (my favorite Priest album is Defenders of The Faith 1984). Heck, I even drew parallels to Icon and Shok Paris, two of my favorite bands. So, needless to say, I love this album.

Does It Suck?
Totally not. This is an ARTFUL piece of traditional metal at its best. While simple in most of its execution, the songs are drawn out longer and there are many great solos that remind me of Tipton/Downing, and even sometimes Denner/Shermann. The choruses are, in typical 80s fashion HUGE, so no worries here. Adding to the package, the riffage is plentiful and devastating in its deceptive simplicity, for example: "Headlines" - it's really one of those records that makes you wonder, "what the fuck happened to good riffs and songs?". It's that good. The ass-kicking continues over to the B side, although overall I prefer the A side for its utter domination.

A key thing I notice while re-listening to the record is that it's one of the few memorable-yet-not ones I have (including Among The Living, An Overdose Of Death, Rock Hard). Let me explain this term: The album gives you an overall good feeling after listening to it, and you hold the album high in regard. Yet, after a while you forget about it only to rediscover its amazing qualities. This is in NO way a bad thing - it increases your joy when you listen to the record again. One of the many reasons I like Standing Alone. It's a total gem.

Wrap Up:
Overall, these songs sound very smooth yet deadly. White Wolf can write a song like no other - with this album they expand on the genre of traditional metal and take it to a new level. One of those albums you have to hear to make a judgment on, but for me as an early to mid 80s metal lover at heart, it's gold. I give this a solid 9/10 - and you can put it up against practically any other genre with that rating.