Blessed & Possessed is the sixth studio album by German power metal band Powerwolf, released on 17 July 2015 by Napalm Records. The band wrote it during 2014 and began recording it in January 2015 at the Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden, and was produced by Fredrik Nordström. It was mastered in the Fascination Street Studios by Jens Bogren.
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. It was re-released separately on 11 January 2019.
Background Powerwolf began writing their sixth album in June 2014. They finished in the December of the same year. 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:
Before the album was released, the group released two singles, "Army of the Night" and "Armata Strigoi". Both of them were first released only in digital form.
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!". Metal Hammer saw the song "Higher Than Heaven" as the "highlight of the album".
Track listing
Boxset & yearbook edition contain a bonus CD, Metallum Nostrum, which was not released separately until 11 January 2019.
Personnel
Powerwolf Attila Dorn – vocals Matthew Greywolf – lead and rhythm guitar Charles Greywolf – bass, rhythm guitar Roel van Helden – drums, percussion Falk Maria Schlegel – organ, keyboards
Additional musicians Helen Vogt – vocals (choir) Almut Hellwig – vocals (choir) Jennifer Gräßer – vocals (choir) Julia Sharon Harz – vocals (choir) Anne Diemer – vocals (choir) Christoph Höbel – vocals (choir) Torsten Peeß – vocals (choir) Patrick Staub – vocals (choir) Francesco Cottone – vocals (choir) Frank Beck – vocals (choir) Dirk Reichel – vocals (choir) Titan Fox – vocals (choir) Björn Hacket – vocals (choir) Tobias Engel – vocals (choir) Michael Morschett – vocals (choir) Alex Handorf – vocals (choir) Dirk Bersweiler – vocals (choir) James Boyle – vocals (choir) Tom Kurt Germann – vocals (choir) Daniel Gene Herzmann – vocals (choir) Toni Hilbert – vocals (choir)
Technical personnel Jens Bogren– mastering Sam Braun – editing, recording David Buballa – editing, recording Charles Greywolf – engineer Kristian Kohlmannslehner – engineer Fredrik Nordström – mixer Henrik Udd – mixer
Other personnel Manuela Meyer – photography Matthew Greywolf – artwork, layout
Charts Chart (2015) Peak position
Sales and certifications Country Certification(sales thresholds)Czech RepublicGold
Release history RegionDateFormatLabelEdition(s)CatalogUnited States & Europe17 July 2015CDNapalm RecordsStandardNPR 486Europe2 CDBoxed set, limited editionNPR 586 BOUnited States & Europe2 CD, LPBoxed set, limited editionNPR 486EuropeCDStandardNPR 586 JCRussia20152 CDMazzar RecordsLimited edition, digipakMZR CD 725South KoreaJuly 2015Evolution MusicDeluxe editionL100005070Japan22 July 2015AvalonJapanMICP-90088Europe6 January 2017Napalm RecordsTour edition, digipakNPR 486Russia2018CDSoyuz MusicStandardSZCD 9993-18
References