Blessed & Possessed
2015 studio album by Powerwolf
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Blessed & Possessed is the sixth studio album by German power metal band Powerwolf,[7] released on 17 July 2015 by Napalm Records. The band wrote it during 2014 and began recording it in January 2015[8] at the Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden, and was produced by Fredrik Nordström.[9] It was mastered in the Fascination Street Studios by Jens Bogren.[10][11]
| Blessed & Possessed | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 17 July 2015 | |||
| Recorded | January–March 2015 | |||
| Studio | Studio Fredman, Gothenburg, Sweden | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 45:42 97:43 (deluxe version) | |||
| Language |
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| Label | Napalm Records | |||
| Producer | Fredrik Nordström | |||
| Powerwolf studio album chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Blessed & Possessed | ||||
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| Tour edition cover | ||||
 | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Distorted Sound Magazine |   [1] |
| Metal.de | [2] |
| Metal Hammer | [3] |
| Metal Storm | 6.8/10[4] |
| Metal Temple | [5] |
| metalunderground.com | [6] |
Boxset and earbook editions of the album feature a bonus CD, Metallum Nostrum, which contains 10 songs of different artists that Powerwolf's band members selected to cover.[12] It was re-released separately on 11 January 2019.[13]
Background
Powerwolf began writing their sixth album in June 2014. They finished in the December of the same year.[8] They announced their new album on their Facebook page on 5 December 2014.
They began recording the album in January 2015 at the Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, and the process lasted until March of the same year. They unveiled album's title and the cover art on 18 March 2015. The guitarist Matthew Greywolf stated about the group's new material:[14]
Without revealing too much, you can expect an album that's 100% uncompromising Powerwolf stuff. There's songs to go wild to, there's epic and atmospheric stuff, and a lot of wolfish metal madness in between, and quite a bunch of songs that will be must-plays on any future Powerwolf show, for damn sure.
Before the album was released, the group released two singles, "Army of the Night"[15] and "Armata Strigoi".[16] Both of them were first released only in digital form.[17][18]
Critical reception
The album was rated positively by the critics. Metal.de wrote: "Blessed & Possessed is already the metal party disc of the year! With powerful riffing, big hooks and the darling dose of kitsch Powerwolf once again created an album in which every song is really a hit!".[2] Metal Hammer saw the song "Higher Than Heaven" as the "highlight of the album".[3]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Matthew Greywolf, Charles Greywolf, Attila Dorn, Falk Maria Schlegel and Roel van Helden.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Blessed & Possessed" | 4:42 |
| 2. | "Dead Until Dark" | 3:49 |
| 3. | "Army of the Night" | 3:21 |
| 4. | "Armata Strigoi" | 3:59 |
| 5. | "We Are the Wild" | 3:41 |
| 6. | "Higher Than Heaven" | 3:30 |
| 7. | "Christ & Combat" | 3:39 |
| 8. | "Sanctus Dominus" | 3:22 |
| 9. | "Sacramental Sister" | 4:36 |
| 10. | "All You Can Bleed" | 3:44 |
| 11. | "Let There Be Night" | 7:19 |
| Total length: | 45:42 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lupus Daemonis (Intro)" | |
| 2. | "Sanctified with Dynamite" | |
| 3. | "Coleus Sanctus" | |
| 4. | "Army of the Night" | |
| 5. | "Amen & Attack" | |
| 6. | "Resurrection by Erection" | |
| 7. | "Armata Strigoi" | |
| 8. | "Kreuzfeuer" | |
| 9. | "Werewolves of Armenia" | |
| 10. | "In the Name of God" | |
| 11. | "Blessed & Possessed" | |
| 12. | "All We Need Is Blood" | |
| 13. | "Dead Boys Don't Cry" | |
| 14. | "We Drink Your Blood" | |
| 15. | "Lupus Dei" |
Boxset & yearbook edition contain a bonus CD, Metallum Nostrum, which was not released separately until 11 January 2019.
Personnel
|
Powerwolf
Additional musicians
|
Technical personnel
Other personnel
|
Charts
| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[19] | 17 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[20] | 41 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[21] | 59 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[22] | 70 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[23] | 30 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[24] | 3 |
| Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[25] | 26 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[26] | 46 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[27] | 10 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[28] | 14 |
Sales and certifications
| Country | Certification (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|
| Czech Republic | Gold |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Edition(s) | Catalog | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States & Europe | 17 July 2015 | CD | Napalm Records | Standard | NPR 486 | |
| Europe | 2 CD | Boxed set, limited edition | NPR 586 BO | |||
| United States & Europe | 2 CD, LP | Boxed set, limited edition | NPR 486 | |||
| Europe | CD | Standard | NPR 586 JC | |||
| Russia | 2015 | 2 CD | Mazzar Records | Limited edition, digipak | MZR CD 725 | [29] |
| South Korea | July 2015 | Evolution Music | Deluxe edition | L100005070 | [30] | |
| Japan | 22 July 2015 | Avalon | Japan | MICP-90088 | [31] | |
| Europe | 6 January 2017 | Napalm Records | Tour edition, digipak | NPR 486 | ||
| Russia | 2018 | CD | Soyuz Music | Standard | SZCD 9993-18 | [32] |