Review by Daniel for Wolf Spider - Wilczy Pająk (1987)
1987’s “Wilczy Pająk” album represents the self-titled debut from five-piece Polish thrash metallers Wolf Spider; a band who would wisely change their moniker to the translated English version shortly after the release of this record with all future releases utilizing English song titles & lyrics. It showcases the crude beginnings of a band that would become a lot thrashier & more technical over the next couple of records but here still seem to be in the process of defining their sound.
Despite commonly being labelled as a thrash metal release, “Wilczy Pająk” sees Wolf Spider testing the waters in a few different subgenres with speed metal being the dominant one in my opinion. Sure there are a few thrashers included here but most tracks rely on simpler yet no less rapid riffs with a few toes still hanging on to the NWOBHM for dear life. “Zemsta mściciela” is probably the only track that sees the band slowing things down enough to qualify for the traditional heavy metal camp but many of the songs include sections or riffs that sound more traditional so I feel that the speed metal label is a more accurate description of what to expect than the thrash one is.
Upon first listen I was caught a little off guard by the low quality production because “Wilczy Pająk” sounds very much like a cheap demo tape. It’s got a very noisy & tinny sound with the crashing of the cymbals dominating the mix & I can’t help but think that I might have rated the album a touch higher if it was afforded a more appropriate production job. Upon investigation I found that some online versions sounded a bit better than others so it would be worth your while to hunt around but it won’t result in a totally acceptable outcome.
The musicianship on display is actually pretty good. Particularly the shredding guitar solos which highlight some excellent chops despite receiving far too much high end in the mix. I think the solos might be the best parts of the record actually. Vocalist Leszek Szpigiel is a pretty decent front man too although he’s possibly not quite as aggressive as many European thrash fans might be used to. His delivery reminds me more of bands like Loudness, Scorpions & several mid-80’s French heavy metal acts. In fact, there are some similarities between the overall sound of the NWOBHM-influenced mid-80’s French scene & the sound that Wolf Spider are pushing here (minus the additional thrash component of course).
From a song-writing point of view, “Wilczy Pająk” starts off really strong with the first couple of tracks leaving me feeling very positive about what lay ahead; particularly the sub-two minute opener “Żądna ofiary twarz” which is the most aggressive song on the tracklisting. But sadly the quality drops off noticeably from there & only manages to recover for closing track “M.C.”. Wolf Spider’s weaker moments usually match up with the less successful attempts at vocal phrasing with several verses sounding like Leszek is trying to stuff too many words into a bar purely for the sake of lyrical continuity. It leaves me thinking that perhaps some of this material was a bit underdone & that a little more time & experience might have been required to see the songs realize their optimum level of appeal. So overall I find “Wilczy Pająk” to be a little flat. It's certainly not bad but you won’t find that hidden underground gem you’re hunting for here I’m afraid.