Glass Wolfe – Predator
Philip Wolfe Music - 2007
By Axemaiden
Glass Wolfe are a California-based band and were formed in 1998 with Maria Glass as the vocalist and lyricist and Philip Wolfe as the keyboardist and producer. The album features a number of guest guitarists, bassists and drummers, some of whom have impressive resumes, for example Neil Citron who has worked with Steve Vai, and Ray Schenck who has worked with the band
Hellion.
I’m not entirely sure what musical genre best sums up
Glass Wolfe, I think sort of a cross between eighties style goth/vampire rock with some seventies prog rock influences, a definite hint of power metal (especially where the guitars are concerned), and a big suggestion of sci-fi keyboards from a Rocky soundtrack would probably be the best description I can give. I also really don’t like the album either. There is talent there in many respects, but it just doesn’t seem to pull together as it should.
The guitarists are very good on the first two tracks,
‘Take No Prisoners’ and
‘Driven’, where there are some really catchy
Iron Maiden style riffs and even a hint of Zakk Wylde widdles; their talents are also showcased on the track
‘State of Mind’ which has a chunky, funky rhythm and
‘Prophecy’, which has quite a
Santana feel. I think the main problem is the vocal work and the overall production. Maria Glass has a powerful voice, but doesn’t really vary the scales and arpeggios she uses whilst singing and because of this, her voice really doesn’t blend well with some of the backing music, also the lack of variation means you don’t have the opportunity to see what she’s capable of. What is most ironic I think is that her best track
‘Shattered Image’ has (aside from the guitar solo) some of the most uninteresting backing music on the album. The production is a problem in this respect as well, it is very good as far as the music is concerned, but the vocals are definitely under produced and deserve more attention. Overall, the album needs more work doing to it and
Glass Wolfe are capable of producing much better music.
Official Glass Wolfe Website
