Powerwolf stand among Germany's foremost metal acts, fusing rapid guitar riffs and pounding percussion with commanding vocals and gothic fantasy imagery that repeatedly invokes the Roman Catholic church, werewolves, and vampires. The group surfaced in 2005, achieving initial recognition through its third full-length release, Bible of the Beast, yet only attained a leading position within the domestic metal community after issuing its first Napalm Records effort, Preachers of the Night, in 2013. Follow-up projects such as Blessed & Possessed in 2015, The Sacrament of Sin in 2018, and Call of the Wild in 2021 sustained the band's commercial momentum both domestically and internationally, while the 2024 album Wake Up the Wicked marked its third German number-one entry.
The ensemble originated in 2003 when guitarist Matthew Greywolf, born Benjamin Buss, and bassist Charles Greywolf, born David Vogt, assembled a new project after years of prior collaboration. They enlisted keyboardist Falk Maria Schlegel and drummer Stéfane Funèbre, though a suitable vocalist remained elusive until a Romanian trip introduced them to Attila Dorn, born Karsten Brill, whose powerful delivery and affinity for werewolf, vampire, and supernatural lore aligned with the desired direction. Adopting the name Powerwolf, the members integrated Dorn's lyrics with their sound and secured a contract from Napalm Records, which issued the debut Return in Bloodred in 2005. Metal Blade Records subsequently arranged a North American licensing agreement, leading to the 2007 appearance of the werewolf-themed concept album Lupus Dei. Bible of the Beast arrived in 2009 as the final recording featuring Stéfane Funèbre, after which Roel van Helden assumed drumming duties in 2010. The fourth studio album, Blood of the Saints, surfaced during summer 2011, followed by the live set Alive in the Night in 2012.
For the North American edition of 2013's Preachers of the Night, Powerwolf partnered with Capitol/Universal, while Napalm Records handled the German release that entered the charts at number one. The sixth studio album, Blessed and Possessed, emerged in 2015, and the band's inaugural DVD/Blu-Ray, Metal Mass: Live, followed in 2016. The Sacrament of Sin, the seventh album, appeared in 2018 and included the singles "Demons Are a Girl's Best Friend" and "Fire & Forgive." In 2020 the group issued Best of the Blessed, a hybrid best-of and live collection that combined tour recordings with classic tracks and newly recorded versions of signature material. Early 2021 brought the single "Beast of Gévaudan," preceding the eighth studio album Call of the Wild later that summer.
Two live releases surfaced in 2022—Hallowed Be the Holy Ground, captured at Wacken, and The Monumental Mass, recorded in New York—preceding another pair of studio efforts in rapid succession: Missa Cantorem II, which expanded upon the collaborative bonus disc Missa Cantorem originally appended to Call of the Wild and subsequently issued on its own, and the 2023 album Interludium. The band's tenth studio album, Wake Up the Wicked, arrived in 2024, reaching the summit of both the German and Austrian charts while peaking at number 13 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart in the United States.
