“New Powerwolf album is the new chapter of the same book” – interview with Matthew Greywolf from Powerwolf

Powerwolf is undoubtedly one of the most successful current heavy metal bands worldwide. Headline and premium slots at premier rock and metal festivals like Wacken, Hellfest and Graspop, as well as massive sold-out arena shows have further solidified the Wolfpack’s standing at the very top of the scene. Powerwolf’s high quality releases are steadily praised by critics and fans alike, building upon the successful reach of their songs and impressive official music videos, which have been streamed tens of millions of times across platforms to date.

“Wake Up The Wicked” – the highly anticipated successor to the extremely successful previous studio album, “Call Of The Wild” (2021) – will be released just in time for the award-winning band’s first ever full North American tour, starting in August 2024, followed by their biggest European headline tour to date, the Wolfsnächte 2024. “Wake Up The Wicked” is once again produced by the outstanding Joost van den Broek at Sandlane Recording Facilities and marks a new benchmark and undisputed career highlight for the band. The new album is hard, surprising and full of variety. While staying true to their established, loved sound, Powerwolf go one step further and showcase a different facet of their deft musical and technical skills.

20 years after their formation in 2004, Powerwolf are expanding their repertoire with the highest quality and adding many future live hits to their extraordinary discography. “Wake Up The Wicked” is yet another statement cementing the status of the band as a leading force in the world of heavy metal!

Chaoszine sat down via Zoom with the band’s primary song-writer Matthew Greywolf and discussed what fans can expect from the “Wake Up The Wicked” album dropping on July 26th via Napalm Records. You can read our chat in full below:

First of all, I really want to congratulate you with the upcoming release of the new Powerwolf album, “Wake Up The Wicked”.

Matthew Greywolf: Thank you.

And can you please tell us, were there any challenges during the record process, or was it like a smooth ride, like an ordinary recording?

Matthew Greywolf: It was a very ordinary recording, nothing more to say.

Thank you, next question? *everyone laughs*

Matthew Greywolf: In fact, it was indeed pretty smooth ride, which, in a way, felt really special, just because the previous album, “Call of the Wild”, was written and recorded during the pandemic. And, I mean, I’m still proud we made it through and released the album back then. But, as we all know, things have been pretty hard back then. Like, we all had been to studio, like, isolated. And then we released the album, but all touring was postponed. And all of that, I mean, we all know it, and we can’t hear it anymore, but the difference this time was, now everything was back to normal again, so to say, and we enjoyed that a lot. I mean, if there is anything good about the pandemic, then it has taught us that we should not take things for granted, of course. And now when things were back to normal, and we could just write songs and meet as a band whenever we want, it’s been a really good experience for us. And we could go to studio together. It really felt so awesome. We really enjoyed ourselves even more than ever before. So that gave us a big push of energy, I would say. And we really enjoyed the making of this album much more than in the past. Just because it was possible again. Crazy enough…So yeah, recording “Wake Up The Wicked” was a joyful, smooth ride.

Okay. And I know that you probably can’t give away a lot of details, but judging by the first single “1589” it seems like it’s going to be another awesome but very traditional Powerwolf album we’re all used to. Or will there still be any surprises?

Matthew Greywolf: Well, I think there are quite a few. I mean, writing a new album as a band that’s been around for quite a while…I mean, we’re speaking of the ninth Powerwolf studio album, to me always feels a bit like writing a new chapter to a book. There is already a plot, you know, all the people in the book. But a new chapter always brings in a few new ideas. There are new elements, so to say. Or it just develops some things that go beyond what was there before.

But, of course, it’s the same people. It’s the same book still. So what I want to say is that we are aware that we, you know, have a trademark sound, which does not change that much. But at the same time, here and there, there are new ingredients. Like, for example, we work with children choir on “We Don’t Wanna Be No Saints”. Or we have a piano-based song like “1589”. Within the typical sound we have, we try to integrate some new aspects every now and then to, you know, just expand the sound of the band and the world of Powerwolf, so to say.

Yeah, sure. And “1589” is a song based on a real historical event. As far as I learned, it’s a story about the werewolf of Bedburg, a farmer who was accused of being a werewolf by the church representatives. It’s incredibly interesting. And one of my favorite comments by far on YouTube was “It’s like an evil Sabaton”.

Matthew Greywolf: I like that. *laughing* Well, it’s like a little bit of a purgatory, if I can say so. But it’s amazing, yes, because there are so many historical events that are wicked, yes, referring to the title of the album.

So are there any other historical influences on the upcoming album?

Matthew Greywolf: Yes, indeed. There are quite a few more. Besides “1589” that you already mentioned, there is, for example, the song “Joan of Arc“. Yeah, I mean, it’s that story almost everybody has heard about. And it is also like a perfect historical stuff to write about. Like, I mean, she became the hero of a nation. And then when things turned, she was accused of heresy and burned on a stake. And after her death, she was sainted. So it’s like a pretty weird kind of story. And just perfect material to write heavy metal music to. Well, yeah…you mentioned this comment about…What did you say? Evil Sabaton?

Evil Sabaton, yes.

Matthew Greywolf: That’s fun. That’s fun. I should tell the Sabaton guys next time we meet. Well, I think, Sabaton are not the only or the first band that writes about historical events. I mean, Iron Maiden did that. I mean, lots of bands do. But I know that they are the most known for doing that historical things. For us, I would say that historical events are, let’s say, a side aspect. I mean, we have these couple of songs on “Wake Up the Wicked”, which are influenced or about historical events. But the main part of, let’s say, the world of Powerwolf remains somehow fictional. Of course, like, you know, we have those main topics we write about. Like lots of religious things and stuff like that. But the general visual world and the universe of Powerwolf is more fictional based, I would say. And will always be.

Well, yeah, that’s absolutely amazing that we really come closer and closer to one of my favorite topics, which is horror movies and horror stories. But before that, I would really want to ask. In general, in your opinion, what is the perfect recipe of the ideal Powerwolf song? So what are the most untaken recipes there?

Matthew Greywolf: Well, guess I haven’t found it yet. Then it would be way easier to write new songs. I mean, there is no such thing like a recipe. It’s really like every song starts on a blank page. And it’s just like, okay, let’s try to create something. But in general, I feel like whatever we do, the persons we are will always make it sound like Powerwolf. Like, you know, Attila’s voice is pretty unique. Then we have like the church organ. We have all those typical kind of elements that make a Powerwolf song sound like Powerwolf. And of course, we generally write pretty, say, catchy songs. Let’s take it like that. I mean, we always need a good hook line to start a song with to make a song memorable.

But apart from that there is just no such thing as a recipe. It’s like every song has its very own dynamics. And well, you know, that’s like it’s always like if you write songs, there’s always songs happening that just don’t really work. So it’s not like there is a recipe and you could say, well, this is going to be a tasty song for sure. It’s just always like, let’s see what happens.

Yes. Good old improvisation.

Matthew Greywolf: In a way, it is. Yeah. You always got to see what evolves or not.

So speaking about the untaken parts of Powerwolf, what I noticed, of course, everyone would notice that is the makeup. Yes. The stage makeup that you use, which is very distinguished. And I’m curious if Powerwolf exist outside the makeup? So to make the question easier: would it be somehow possible for you in theory to perform without makeup, without pyro, without all those stage decorations? Would it be still Powerwolf?

Matthew Greywolf: Obviously, theoretically, we would. And the thing is, speaking about the music, I always tell people on an album, there is no makeup. So, you know, what I want to say is a good song remains a good song. The show, especially the visual side of it, is an enhancement. But it’s still the very same song. You know, if a song is shit, you will not listen to it no matter what show you put on. So but to come back to the question. Yeah. Of course, we might do that, but we don’t want to. Just because for us, from the beginning on, we had the vision that we would present the most spectacular show we’re able to.

Just to me, that belongs together. Heavy metal and a dramatic show is just like one thing. I mean, I remember that one of the first metal live videos I saw was “Life After Death” from Iron Maiden. They had this huge backdrop. And Bruce Dickinson had these masks on and stuff like that. And it was just like totally overwhelming for me. So from that moment on, I always felt like once I have my own band and I can put on a show on stage, I will try to, you know, do the maximum of it. So that’s just what we like. We, you know, for us, it’s just an essential thing. But of course, I mean, theoretically, we would be able to just stand there in shirts and jeans and just play our songs. But I doubt that I would feel like I give my best, you know?

Yeah, of course. I understand. Okay. So can you please tell me, would you agree that Powerwolf can stick to a horror metal genre? Or you generally don’t prefer to stick to any genres nowadays?

Matthew Greywolf: The latter. Definitely. I mean, I know what you mean with horror metal. But I would not want to be labeled horror metal. I just don’t, you know, feel the need to be labeled anyway. I mean, we’re just, you know, whatever. We’re Powerwolf. We’re a metal band. That’s enough of a category. But then again, I know what you mean. And of course, we deliver this horror connected, slightly dark kind of visual world, which also like belongs to, you know, the way we sound. And the entire experience of Powerwolf, so to say.

Yeah. So now, finally, what is your favorite horror movie in general? And in particular, any favorite werewolf movies you can recommend to watch?

Matthew Greywolf: I guess I’m not the biggest horror movie fan.

Oh well..

Matthew Greywolf: *laughs* No, no, not really. I’m more into, well, you know, horror is, to me, it’s about the atmosphere of a movie. It’s not really about the actual, like, speaking of horror in terms of splatter or whatever. Like, you know, real actual horror movie, lots of blood and all of that. It’s not my kind of horror movie. But if I think of movies like Sleepy Hollow. I like creepy stuff like the one that Tim Burton does, but it’s not a real horror movie.

It looks like a real horror movie though.

Matthew Greywolf: To me, it’s a dark fairy tale or whatever it is. But, you know, that’s my cup of horror movie. So, yeah. Speaking of these kind of things, that’s one example, which I really like. And for me, also visually, it’s a very, very strong movie.

Yes, it is. And about any werewolf movies – in order not to maybe limit you like this. Anything werewolf related, as long as it seems to be the leitmotif of Powerwolf’s work. So – movies, books, stories, besides the ones that you use in your songs.

Matthew Greywolf: Well…

No?

Matthew Greywolf: Probably not in particular. I mean, of course, I know tons of werewolf movies and all of that. But there’s none in super particular, where I feel like this is really great. I couldn’t really name one werewolf movie that really stands out to me. It’s like, nah.

Ok, I get it, sorry, I was just curious, because you seem like a pro about werewolf topic to me.

Matthew Greywolf: Yeah, I am. But rather on the literature side of things. I’m not so much into like the movie side of things. But I’m rather into the lyrical side. It’s rather about the concept of it all. It’s not about the actual stories that fascinate me. It’s rather about where does it come from? What’s the deal about the werewolves? What’s the deal about vampirism? And speaking vampirism I don’t mean Dracula or something. It’s rather about the ancient belief. Where does it derive from? How can people up with the concept that there are creatures around that, you know suck the blood or eat people. How do people come up with the belief in vampirism and werewolves? The traditions. That’s what fascinates me a lot. It’s not actually the Hollywood side of things. It’s rather that. Where does it come from? How, you know, that ancient beliefs and stuff.

Yeah, the very origins. Not the pop culture side of it, but the very basis.

Matthew Greywolf: Yeah, exactly. That’s how I approach these topics more than like the movie side or the literature side of things.

Has Powerwolf ever faced any, you know, negativity from real church representatives? Or some extreme religious individuals, because some may think that you exploit this church topic from, well, too dark side, I would say. Or you haven’t ever experienced anything like this. And would you even think that it’s kind of appropriate to look at it this way?

Matthew Greywolf: Well, that’s always a matter of from what angle you look at things. First part of the question, we hardly had any such experiences, but we had a few. If people approach us with that, we’re always happy to talk to people and explain, which always helps understanding each other’s point of view. But there is one thing that is very essential to Powerwolf, and that’s a humoristic side of things.We do lots of things with tongue in cheek and, you know, some little humor involved. I mean, we do have songs like “Resurrection by Erection”, or we do have “Curia Clitorium” on the new album. So, first of all, these songs are just good fun. Second thing is, it should explain people we’re not religious fanatics. We’re just, you know, we do things in a way of like there’s always a sense of humor to what we do.

And at the same time, we do respect any kind of religion. I mean, you know, religion to me is something really private, really personal. It’s nothing I would ever judge about. I mean, you know, I think people should be happy with whatever makes them happy. You know, I would not, not at all dare to tell people what’s good or what’s bad or, you know, whatever. It’s just that’s also why we don’t, the way we approach religious topics or church topics mostly is from a historical point of view. Not the philosophical point of view. Like, I leave that up to everyone’s private religion.

Would you ever want to perform in a cathedral? I mean, if we continue the church topic, the acoustic would be amazing there.

Matthew Greywolf: I guess it would be a mess. The problem with the acoustics in a cathedral, they have this huge reverberation kind of thing, which makes, for example, a church organ or an orchestra sounds amazing. But if you would actually play a drum set inside of there, it would be horrible. To be honest, we just did that last week because we have been on a video shooting where we had been in a very large church. And when we recorded the scenes for the drumming, it was horrible. Really, like you couldn’t even get at all what rhythms who was playing because it was so much of a reverb mess. But of course, looking at the scenery, it would just be amazing to perform in a in a in an actual church.

But yeah, acoustically probably wouldn’t work. Thanks for the very precise answer to my question. The last question would be about your upcoming tour with Hammerfall and Wind Rose. So can you tell me how did you come up with touring together and how excited you are?

Matthew Greywolf: Well, of course, we’re super excited, like, you know, always when you release a new album and there’s the first tour coming up for an album, you just can’t wait to bring in new songs to stage. So we’re really, really excited about it. And well, the question about the lineup of the tour is how did we come up with it – I don’t know. I mean, usually there’s a couple of names being thrown in that could be possible bands you may tour with. And then as well it always got to align with the schedules of bands like, you know, all the bands need, you know, to more or less have a new album out and just be available for touring and not in studio and all of that kind of things. And I think for a couple of years, yeah, for a couple of years already, we thought that it would be a good idea to tour together with Hammerfall at some point. And yeah, now just our album release schedules aligned.

So, yeah, finally it was possible to realize that. And I think it’s a very nice and strong lineup. Like, it’s a very strong power metal package, but each of the bands has their very own style and brand. So, it’s a great moment of playing power metal. Yeah. I’m personally really looking forward to this tour. It’s going to be good fun.