Interview: Powerwolf Guitarist Matthew Greywolf Di…

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German heavy metal legion Powerwolf are kind of killing it right now. They’ve been grinding it out for 20 years, releasing 12 albums and spreading their name around the world in that time. Their latest effort, Wake up the Wicked, is out today on Napalm Records and it promises even bigger things for the quintet, including their first US tour which kicks off next month.

Decibel got in touch with guitarist Matthew Greywolf to get some knowledge on Wake Up the Wicked, making cinematic music videos and why it took two decades to get to the States.

Wake Up the Wicked is your 12th release in 20 years. How do you continue to find the inspiration to write at such a fast pace?
We love what we do, so we just don’t stop, it’s probably as simple as that. We usually don’t have a hard time seeking inspiration, but rather follow whatever comes to our minds. We’re lucky to be that circle of friends who form the band, we know each other extremely well and that’s the best ground to build a house on, meaning we are pretty productive when it comes to writing music as we’re all on the same page and there are no egos involved in this band. We have, over the years, found our very own, distinctive sound, as well as that entire visual world – which we refer to as the Powerwolf experience – and we feel blessed and gifted to add new chapters to this universe.

What was the writing process on Wake Up the Wicked like? You’ve released something each year from 2018 to 2022, so it’s not like you’re collecting ideas over the course of a year.
We usually define time frames for songwriting, which we simply have to as we’re not the type of band that writes while being on tour. For Wake Up The Wicked, we started writing songs right after we returned from our first US shows in March 2023. It was an overwhelming experience to meet such dedicated audiences over there in the US and Canada that it gave us that extra kick of motivation that lights the creative spark to the max. We went full songwriting mode for about four months, which was a pretty intense time. The process is usually that I start plotting a song, present it to Attila, who is the most brutally honest person when it comes to commenting on song ideas, and if he approves, I know the song is gonna make it. That’s how we work.

Your video for “1589” is practically like a short film with its budget, number of actors and locations. Was it difficult to coordinate such a big production and still have it reflect your ultimate vision for the band?
Indeed that was quite a project that went far beyond what we knew from shooting a music video. We wanted to go all the way this time, really doing that storytelling movie approach instead of just a song performance with a little acting in between. Being bored by CGI and AI stuff, we decided to choose the old-school way of filmmaking. No post-prod, no CGI, no green screen, just real actors on original sets.

We shot the video mid-November in England, so it was freezing cold and the rain didn’t stop pouring. All the suffering is real in that clip. We could probably have done that clip in a more economic way, as we spent quite a splendid amount of money, but we wanted that experience, and we wanted the emotion, the acting and the atmosphere that only a shoot like that can bring.

The release of Wake Up the Wicked also means your first full US tour. Are there any particular cities or other parts of the tour you’re particularly excited about?
Honestly, we’re looking forward to each and every show. Those shows we played in North America in 2023 were such good fun and a burst of enthusiasm that we can hardly wait to come back. Plus, it feels pretty exciting to premiere the songs from Wake Up The Wicked in the US.

Powerwolf’s first US shows last year were sellouts, no easy feat for a band with no prior history in the country. Do you think waiting so long to play stateside made fans more ravenous to see Powerwolf?
That might have played a role indeed. Saying that, I have to point out that it was never a strategic move to wait for such a long time until we made it to the US. It just never happened before, since we had been rushing from one tour to the next in Europe until it was time for the next album, and the circle repeated. Somehow, plans for North America always had been pushed to “next time.” Luckily, we overcame that and this time even set priority to North America, starting our touring for Wake Up The Wicked there.

After the US tour, you embark on a European tour. Where do you find time to write and record new music in the midst of all this touring?
We don’t think about a next album until we define a timeframe for it. Touring is a different mode and takes all our commitment. We never write while touring. For now, the schedule is touring for “Wake Up The Wicked”, and plans are going until the end of 2025. By then, we will decide how and when to proceed.