Back 1 year after their debut, Greek heavy / power metal act Wardrum, return with their brand new opus "Desolation" via Steel Gallery Records on 25th April 2012. Taking a step onwards from their debut 'Spadework', Wardrum have delivered an even more powerful sound that still retains the melodies and technicality of its critically acclaimed predecessor. 'Desolation' also marks the first album recorded with new singer, Yannis Papadopoulos (Until Rain, Crosswind) who also lives in Thessaloniki and have brought stability to the band's working timetable, not to mention bringing a new dimension to the lyricism heard on the new album. The works for this album started right after "Spadework" was released. Preproduction took place in October 2011, final adjustments were made and full recording took place November 2011/February 2012. Through "Desolation" the band delivers for once more strong songs, catchy choruses, melodic guitar solos, technical rhythm section, highly establishing the band's skills and songwriting abilities. The album was produced again by Kostas Scandalis and released by Steel Gallery Records, while the Cover artwork is a work of Piotr Szafraniec. Excerpts from reviews: Metal to Infinity Website, reviews "Desolation": " I’d like to kneel down and pray to the gods of Metal to bring out more pieces like this in the future! The sound quality is very good what does increase my appreciation for Wardrum’s new effort “Desolation” even more. In their very existence of nearly two years, these guys are once again able to take us all by surprise with a second album that sounds terrific! If you carefully listening to musical details, you can’t avoid the fact hearing nothing but compositions finding their way to complete perfection. High vocals never lose the pedals, technical melodic guitar lines (shred guitar maniacs, stay focussed!), good organized bass and drum works… great job guys! " Forgotten Scroll Website, reviews "Desolation": I can hardly remember a band -at least the last decade- that managed in just a single year to release a second album that not only stands greater compared to he debut but it sets the ultimate standards for the band and it is one of the best albums in the Prog / Power genre that was released the last decade. I wonder how the hell they going to release something better than "Desolation" on the years to come. I already have put it in my top 10 list of the Greek Metal albums and I am sure that in the years to come this masterpiece will be mentioned as a classic release for the Greek Metal scene. Of course with albums like this the Greek frontiers are already broken for Wardrum and a slot among the great Power / Prog bands worldwide is open for them. I haven't got nothing else to write. I will simply press the play button once again and dive into "Desolation". Forgotten Scroll Website, reviews "Desolation": New bands full of will, honor and seriousness tend to bring Greece once and for all in the center of the world metal map. One of those bands is Wardrum, who the last year released their debut “Spadework” and this year will offer their second album “Desolation”. The fact that without losing time and after a year they record their second album means two things. Firstly, they prove that they are not a random band empty of efforts and dreams and secondly, they improve their more than obvious love for US power/prog. If you like Symphony X, Lethal, Jag Panzer and many more bands of this kind, then you will be satisfied. They are careful and they do not compose songs, which could be characterized as an imitation, but the use clues from the above bands as their mediums for the achievement of their goal. The songs whether they are technical like “Common Ground” and “Urban Storm” or catchy like “Parental” and “About In Nothing”, can stay in mind at once. This mostly because of their powerful sound, which is neither tired nor overloaded and the absence of keyboards is the extra key to the success. Actually this absence works more as an advantage for the band. Also there are and the fast songs like “Unforgiving” and “No Retreat” in which when it is the time for its solo you think that you hear Andy LaRocque in the place of Kostas Vretos. Kostas is so creative, that you will await for the solos to come. I really want to mention the contribution of Kostas Kourou on drums. This guy plays everything you cannot imagine. If you expect to hear something simple, you will hear a technical part and if you are ready for difficult parts you will hear the simplicity on his playing. All these are called personal identity, a necessary clue for an upcoming band as I have mentioned many times in other texts. Albums like “Desolation” in the past, especially in Greece, were difficult to be found or to be maintained against time. The productions then did not have the comforts and the abilities of nowadays and there was not too a man who apart from his participation as a great bass player would be and the producer. Do you know what else we miss from the past days? The authenticity of the singer. Yannis Papadopoulos is just himself, he is not trying to reach the levels of any other famous singer and this makes my day! The guys in the song “F.A.I.T.H.” have a verse which says “Tell me you‘re truth and I’ll believe you”. Well Wardrum show that they are truth and I believe them and this is what you have to do too if this material grabs you. (8/10)