As I think back of some of the great bands of the Eighties that never really made the huge splash, the band WHITE WOLF came to mind. They were originally a cover band in the beginning turning to all originals shortly after they established themselves as a force in music.

So I said to myself, they have a new release “Victim of the Spotlight” lets see if I can get in touch with the band. A few days day later I get a call, it’s the man himself Don Wolf calling from Canada. We talk a bit about the past and he asks if I have the earlier WHITE WOLF albums and I said sure but I can’t listen to them, I only have them on vinyl and have no working record player. We both start laughing, maybe shows a little age. Anyway, Don sends me a package with the two earlier WHITE WOLF Japanese pressings CD’s “Endangered Species” and “Standing Alone”, his solo CD “Making Changes”, PROJECT X and the new WHITE WOLF CD plus a laminated pass. All autographed; now this man goes all out. (Thank you Don)!!!

So I pop in the new disc “Victim of the Spotlight” hoping that WHITE WOLF has kept to their roots and didn’t sell out and I was totally right. They kept that killer guitar riffs by original member Cam MacLeod and Don’s vocals are better than ever. One thing that stood out from the initial track “Victim of the Spotlight” is production, the quality of sound is amazing and each instrument stands on its own. I was never really a big fan of WHITE WOLF and I think I missed out on something because if this is the future of WHITE WOLF I am glad Don sent me this package. This album kicks ass and the drum tracks are killer.

The song that stands out for me and causes chills to run down my arm is “America (Hello Again).” Because not only I am and American and I don’t always agree with our policy, this song shows how non-American bands perceive this land. We have good and bad in everything but one thing that holds true is the music fan. Listen to the song “America” and see for yourself. This is one helluva tune with melodic guitar and Don’s vocals sear and when he says “Hello Again” it makes you stand tall. It not only shows that music is being revitalized so are bands such as WHITE WOLF, LILLIAN AXE and tons of Eighties metal acts and I am happy as hell about THAT.

The friggin guitar work by Cam MacLeod is like winning a gold metal, that guy is in high gear fucking bending strings and playing the hardest melodic style guitar I’ve heard in a while.

“Eyes of the World” give a flare of STYX “Miss America” in the beginning then takes off in another direction. “Dreams Are Forever” gives a feel of Joe Lynn Turner and the subtle keyboards echoing in the background gives the song depth and an arena sound.

We are all the way down to track eleven “Don't Turn Away” and you can hear for yourself, there are no fillers on this disc because it’s just one great track after another. “Don't Turn Away” has a good sing along melody and will be a crowd favorite. This is a CD you want in your collection immediately, go to their MySpace site and check out “Eyes of the World” and stop by their official site and pick up the new CD “Victim of the Spotlight”.