When an album opens with nothing but high hat and then adds the guitars, you know you have a banger. Trespass’ Wolf At The Door (From the Vaults) is quintessential NWOBHM. Even in this digital age, Wolf At The Door still has the tonality of analog seventies metal albums. There is a grounding, brownness to the sound. The pacing and mixing give it a throwback, classic feel. The songs come complete with velvety guitar solos over hard-driving drums. ‘Wolf At The Door’ would sound awesome on vinyl as it has the tones and feeling that support analog listening. 

Wolf At The Door opens with the strong ‘Blackthorn’. The song has driving, groove-laden guitar riffs and a catchy chorus. It’s a rich and smooth song from start to finish. A couple of seemingly diametrically opposed sounds coalesce in the second track ‘Daggers Drawn’. Some of the stanzas sound like Thin Lizzy and some of the stanzas sound like Megadeth. 

Unlike the opening track ‘Blackthorn’, ‘Daggers Drawn’ sounds a bit clunky. Totally unclunky but full of pathos is ‘Force of Nature’ which sounds a bit like Dio in the opening of the composition. ‘Force of Nature’ is a lament about a female love interest. There is a woeful plaintive take to the lyrics and a desperation to the guitar solo at the four-minute mark. “…She’s a force of nature. Don’t you make her hate you…”.  It’s a strong, powerful song.  Next up is ‘Other Worlds’. ‘Other Worlds’ is the album’s stand-out song. The listener finds themself singing along before the track is over.

The rest of Wolf At The Door is more of the same as Trespass keeps that raw, aggressive sound that characterizes the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. The guitars are catchy and the riffs are memorable. The album boasts a lot of melodic hooks and memorable choruses. 

Buy the album here: 

https://targetgroup.bandcamp.com/album/wolf-at-the-door

6 / 10

VICTORIA ANDERSON