Band:	Amoth
Album:	The Hour Of The Wolf
Style:	Progressive heavy metal
Release date:	January 2022

01. Alice
02. The Man Who Watches The World Burn
03. Wounded Faith
04. Wind Serenade (Part I)
05. Wind Serenade (Part II)
06. We Own The Night
07. It Ain't Over Yet
08. Traces In The Snow
09. The Hour Of The Wolf

The promo sheet of Amoth’s The Hour Of The Wolf said that it is recommended for fans of Iron Maiden, King Diamond, Testament, Megadeth, and Joe Satriani. So I thought, “if this is even half-accurate, it can’t go wrong”.

The band is led by guitarist and main songwriter, Tomi Ihanamäki, and features Pekka Montin of Ensiferum fame on vocals, who was also singing on Amoth’s debut, and is a very competent and versatile vocalist. I admit that The Hour Of The Wolf was my first encounter with Amoth but I did check out the previous two for this review and I can safely say that this is their best in all aspects; performance, songwriting, and production.

The thing I noticed upon first listen is that this is a melodic metal album that is fairly diverse. The songs are different from each other both in terms of style but also in how they approach each style. In the first three songs the band switches from hard rock, to prog power, and to thrash metal respectively. That way, the album caught my attention from the very beginning. Subsequent listens made me appreciate The Hour Of The Wolf even more, discovering more interesting parts and elements each time due to its progressive character.

There is abundant virtuoso-like playing on the album and the two parts of the instrumental “Wind Serenade” are proof of that; especially the second one, which is very much homage to Vai and Satriani. One of my favourite tracks is “We Own The Night”; it is the most complex one, constantly switching tempos and time signatures, and I really like the antithesis between the aggressive music and the calmer vocal delivery. The only song that didn’t really convince me was the ballad “Traces In The Snow”, which isn’t bad but I feel that it went on for longer than it should have. The album does end on a high note with another favourite of mine, the beautifully dark title track. “The Hour Of The Wolf” is a fine prog power specimen, much like “The Man Who Watches The World Burn” from the first half, and I feel that this is the style that fits the band best and the one that gives Amoth the opportunity to demonstrate all their strong points.

I believe The Hour of The Wolf is sure to please fans of heavy, melodic, and progressive music. There is a lot going on here musically, with many good riffs, melodies, and solos. I hope this album will give Amoth some more recognition because they have done a really good job with it.

“In the hour of the wolf
No one can hear you but me
But I’m the old blind fool”

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