WOLF have never had much interest in moving with the times, and their tenth album is not about to break the habit. The Swedish traditional metallers will release "Hour Of The Wolf" on November 20, 2026 via Fireflash Records, with the first single, "Death Satellite", landing on August 21.
Vocalist and guitarist Niklas Stålvind describes the single as the album's most immediately recognisable moment rather than its most adventurous one. "Some of the songs on the album explore the outskirts of the WOLF universe, but this one is a straight-up banger with all the classic WOLF elements," he said. "If you have heard us before, you will recognize the sound within seconds."
He then framed the record as a deliberate act of resistance. "While our A.I. overlords use algorithms to plant thoughts in our brains, we offer some old-school, man-made metal so we won't go insane. As usual, the lyrics have a deeper meaning and provide food for thought, but most of all, the song is intended for raising fists, headbanging and having a good time!"
The accompanying video was directed by Cannes Film Festival award winner Snovonne "Sno" Drake, who has already been booked for a second clip from the same album. "So watch this space... There's more to come," Stålvind added.
"Hour Of The Wolf" follows 2022's "Shadowland", released via Century Media Records, and arrives more than three decades after the band formed in 1995 — a moment when, by Stålvind's account, classic heavy metal in Sweden was closer to a punchline than a scene.
"Where we were located in Sweden, I would say classic metal wasn't a thing at all," he told MetalTalk. "Classic heavy metal existed only as a joke, and it was considered as a sign that you were a bit retarded if you listened to it. We despised that attitude. Our ambition was just to produce top-quality songs. We put a lot of effort into the songwriting. It was us-against-the-world kind of feeling in the old bomb shelter where we rehearsed. We always knew that someday people would start liking this kind of music again. It only took ten years longer than we expected."
The band's compass has not shifted since. "We grew up on IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST, ACCEPT and the rest of the classic bands, and we hadn't grown out of it as most people did in the '90s," Stålvind said. "I didn't like the '90s very much and felt like an alien in those days."
WOLF is Niklas Stålvind on lead vocals and guitar, Simon Johansson on guitar, Pontus Egberg on bass and backing vocals, and Johan Koleberg on drums.
Source: blabbermouth.net