Richmond, Indiana’s Wolftooth recently announced the upcoming release of their colossal new Napalm Records debut, Blood & Iron, dropping December 3. Offering an immense slab of proto-metal influenced heaviness with a deep dose of doom essence and addictive stoner riffage, the album travels through a treasure trove of fantasy-themed lyrical influences - exploring mystical and often treacherous themes of mythology, lore and legend with a focus on sorcery, battle and non-stop adventure.

Following up on the release of victorious first single “The Voyage”, the band revealed a second single, entitled "Broken Sword", alongside another new music video. And today, the band release a guitar playthrough video for "Broken Sword". Watch below:

The thrash-injected track gallops towards soaring guitar melodies and an addictive chorus as the story's hero lays waste to all in his path.

Wolftooth says about “Broken Sword”: “The song 'Broken Sword' is about a young boy that escapes his village being ransacked and burnt to the ground, with most of the villagers being killed or taken into slavery. The boy journeys on a vision quest to heal his broken spirit. 20 years later, after much training both physically and mentally, he returns to take revenge for his ancestors. The broken sword symbolizes his broken spirit, and the blood on the sword symbolizes the freedom of his people."

Watch the official music video for “Broken Sword”:

Wolftooth launched onto the scene in 2017, swiftly grabbing the attention of fans, tastemakers and industry alike. Now, building upon the subterranean success of their lauded previous albums (2018’s Wolftooth and 2020’s Valhalla), the band unveils Blood & Iron, a true nod to classic, feel-good American heavy metal with modernized flair. If you enjoy your metal homegrown, larger-than-life and with a weighty dose of mystical storytelling.

Recorded, mixed and mastered by producer Jeremy Lovins, Blood & Iron begins ominously with “Ahab” - beckoning the listener to join Wolftooth’s fabled trek with an isolated guitar introduction before bursting into a sticky, metallic blues jam, instantly echoing the likes of Black Sabbath to Pallbearer while maintaining fresh delivery. The track effectively poises the album for greatness before leading into two tales of historic prevalence backed by trudging riffage - Xerces epic “Hellespont”, and mythical ode to triumphant Irish warrior Cú Chulainn, “Blood & Iron”. The tracks ebb and flow amid melodic solos, sludgy rhythms and charging drums, evident on songs like galloping, thrash-injected assault “Broken Sword” and headbang-inducing, lead-laden “A King’s Land”. Wolftooth continue their immense sonic storytelling with soaring saga “The Voyage” and frigid ballad “Winter White” before closing out the nine enormous tunes on Blood & Iron with two of its most standout offerings – cohesive and rhythmically-enticing “Garden Of Hesperides” and driving final epic “The Mare” - depicting stories of 100-headed dragons, witches, dark horses and mind control. What more could a true metalhead ask for?

Wolftooth adds about the album: "Blood & Iron is the culmination of all the work that we as a band have put into forging our sound over the last four years. Musically, we feel that we've honed what works well for us while expanding on what was already there. This album represents a more mature direction, relying on classic heavy metal influence with a strong nod to our proto-metal roots. Lyrically, the album focuses on kings, battle, conquest and myth. These elements together coalesce into a riff-laden slab of heavy metal that we are all proud of."

Blood & Iron will be available in the following formats:

- CD Digipack
- 1LP Gatefold Black
- 1LP Gatefold Gold Die Hard Edition w/ album cover slipmat and logo patch (Napalm Mailorder only – limited to 100)
- 1LP Gatefold Marbled Gold & Black (Napalm Mailorder only – limited to 200)
- CD Digipack & Shirt Bundle (Napalm EU/RoW Mailorder only)

Pre-order here.

Blood & Iron tracklisting:

"Ahab"
"Hellespont"
"Blood & Iron"
"A King's Land"
"Broken Sword"
"The Voyage"
"Winter White"
"Garden Of Hesperides"
"The Mare"

"The Voyage" video:

Indiana-local fans, take note! Wolftooth will perform a hometown show on November 6 at E Street Pub in Richmond, Indiana with Rattlesnake Venom Trip and Steel Aggressor. Check local venue listings for more information.

Lineup:

Jeff Cole - Guitars
Johnny Harrod - Vocals, Drums
Terry McDaniel - Bass
Chris Sullivan - Vocals, Guitars

(Photo - Stephanie Harrison)