Last Act of Defiance

Seasons of the Wolf is an odd band that knocked my socks off with the re-release of their 1999 Lost in Hell album by Pure Steel Records back in 2012. Their new album, Last Act of Defiance, continues their chosen, left-of-center path and may actually be a little more varied than I was expecting. You've got up-tempo rockers like "Solar Flare" that have the exuberance of AC/DC, mixed with the pensive and serious "Be Careful What You Wish." These songs couldn't be much different yet work within the album because Seasons of the Wolf don't bow to convention. Maiden riffs? Check. Manilla Road esoterica? Bring it on. Spacey, 70s Uriah Heep keyboards? Yes, please. The songwriting is excellent, and you can tell that Seasons of the Wolf have poured their souls into these songs. Even though there's been some unrest in the band's lineup (original singer Wes Waddell has apparently left and his brother, guitarist Barry "Skully" Waddell handled the vocals on a few tracks), you can feel the band's desire to produce a quality album for the fans and themselves. Last Act of Defiance is hard to categorize but that is what makes Seasons of the Wolf such an intriguing band. This is a must for anyone tired of all the clones and run of the mill releases out there today.