Project: Roenwolfe - Project: Roenwolfe

Angry Metal Guy 40

It seems I was just waxing longingly about the power/thrash-shaped hole in my heart left by Iced Earth, and here I am again with a potential filler. Back in 2021, one of our lovely commenters recommended the then-new record Edge of Saturn by Project: Roenwolfe, and its Iced Earth-meets-Cage vibe was exactly what the doctor had ordered for me. Featuring the phenomenal guitar work of Alicia Cordisco (Transgressive, ex-Judicator), Project: Roenwolfe seemed tailor-made to quench my Iced Earth thirst with powerful, story-filled anthems saturated by thrashy guitar work and insane, high-pitched vocals. Edge of Saturn made my Honorable Mention list for that year, and it firmly placed Project: Roenwolfe on my to-watch list. Well, watch I have, and my diligence has been rewarded by the emergence of a follow-up. I always feel like a band is trying to make a statement of purpose when they opt for an eponymous album several records in, so let’s see if Project: Roenwolfe is the kind of album that will set the band on a new trajectory.

Right out of the gate, it seems like little has changed in Camp Project: Roenwolfe, musically speaking. Opening track “Boundless” feels like it would have fit right in on Edge of Saturn. Its deeply personal message was forged while Cordisco wrestled with coming out and stands to help and encourage others who might be going through something similar, and that message is delivered through the medium of killer thrash riffs and high-flying choruses. It’s the kind of song that we’ve come to expect from Cordisco and her many past and present projects.

Project: Roenwolfe by Project: Roenwolfe

Unfortunately, things start to sour for me after the opener fades away. Have you ever noticed the phenomenon where a band can sound exactly like themselves but seems to be missing that intangible animating spirit that inspired their older, greater works? A prime example, applicable here for multiple reasons, is Framing Armageddon-era Iced Earth. Sure Jon Schaffer still played some awesome riffs and Ripper/Barlow wailed their hearts out, but it seemed like the story had overtaken the music in importance—and many of the tunes seemed flat as a result. I get the same vibe on much of Project: Roenwolfe, with the bulk of the album leaving little for me to get excited about. In fact, “Kyromid” feels like it could actually have been ripped directly from Framing Armageddon (Part 1), its plodding nature making it seem much longer than its six-minute runtime. The nine-minute penultimate track “Pearls before Swine” suffers a similar fate, completing a six-song run—the vast majority of the album—that seems to saunter by without memorable choruses or any other remarkable features. Thankfully, the self-titled closer dials things back into the P:R territory I know and love, finishing things on a positive note.

But perhaps the most off-putting flaw on Project: Roenwolfe is the vocals. I did notice on Edge of Saturn that signer Patrick Parris had some notable strain on his voice in many of the songs, but his performance ultimately served the songs well. Well, sometime between then and now, things have taken a turn for the worse. Maybe it’s the way the vocals are layered in the mix, but they are just outright bad in places this time around. The worst example is “Honor the Line,” a track that sounds like a Cage song fronted by a Sean Peck who’s lost all of his confidence and power. The vocal layers clash badly, and Parris strains and trails off prematurely in spots, and I’m honestly flabbergasted that this song made it through the production process. The vocals on “Pre-Existential Crisis,” “Theatre of Sorrow,” and “Saturnus Augmentum” aren’t quite as bad, but any potential those tracks had needed a decent vocal performance to elevate them above mediocrity. Ultimately, “Boundless” and “Project: Roenwolfe” are the only tracks here that I see myself listening to again after this review, and even they can’t hold a candle to the unbridled fun of tunes like “Something More” or “Promethium” from Edge of Saturn.

I certainly hope this eponymous outing doesn’t represent the band’s identity going forward, because, I’m not going to lie, this is probably the most disappointed I’ve ever been by a returning favorite during my tenure here. Project: Roenwolfe the band is loaded with potential, but some lackluster songwriting and vocal woes hamstring Project: Roenwolfe the album. I hope they can figure this stuff out in the future, because I feel like their best is still yet to come.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: WAV
Label: Syrup Moose Records
Websites: projectroenwolfe.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/projectroenwolfe
Releases Worldwide: June 2nd, 2023

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