For a band that had been inactive for a couple of decades White Wolf have had a recent burst of activity that even frank Zappa would have been hard pressed to match. First of all they returned to the scene with the new and very fine Victim of the Spotlight as well as re-releasing their 1980’s albums Standing Alone and Endangered Species. Last September they made the trip to Ludwigsburg in Germany to play the UFOR Festival which has been translated into the Live In Germany CD that stand before us now. 

“Seasoned,” is the word that the record company uses to describe the band and a couple of them do look like they could well rival Methuselah in the age department but they certainly put on a good show in front of what, to be fair, doesn’t sound like the largest crowd in the world.Whilst in many ways White Wolf are Don Wolf’s backing band the star of the show here is undoubtedly guitarist Cam MacLeod who shines at all times and even takes the lead vocals on the utterly brilliant What the War Will Bring. At every turn there’s a little lick or riff that really makes Live in Germany an aural pleasure. 

Obviously, and wisely, the band opt to take a trip through their, “greatest hits,” so Live in Germany makes a decent primer for anybody looking to get into the Wolf for the first time. Headlines and She are the other standout tracks which explains their previous status as singles. She remains a tad like Rick Springfield to my mind and that isn’t a bad thing. If you are one of those people who dig live albums, this is one to add to your collection. If you aren’t, why not buy one of White Wolf’s other CD’s? You could do a lot worse.

Simon Bray