There was some speculation after [wimpLink albumId="10084342"]Seven[/wimpLink] that [wimpLink artistId="3890566"]Wolfstone[/wimpLink] has ceased to be an active entity. That rumor was squelched in a big way when, in 2001 and 2002, they released Live! Not Enough Shouting and [wimpLink albumId="241459229"]Almost an Island[/wimpLink] respectively. The latter was their first studio album in three years and it reunited them with producer [wimpLink artistId="28127"]Phil Cunningham[/wimpLink], who last produced their [wimpLink albumId="11555275"]Year of the Dog[/wimpLink] album (1994). Just as "Holy Ground" established the tenor for that album and, likewise, "Zeto" for [wimpLink albumId="11555092"]The Half Tail[/wimpLink](1996), [wimpLink albumId="241459229"]Almost an Island[/wimpLink] is ushered in with a similarly bagpipes-heavy rocker "The Piper and the Shrew." This was [wimpLink artistId="3890566"]Wolfstone[/wimpLink]'s way of saying "We're ba-ack." With the dependable core of [wimpLink artistId="5839967"]Duncan Chisholm[/wimpLink], Wayne MacKenzi, Stevie Saint, and Stuart Eaglesham, [wimpLink artistId="3890566"]Wolfstone[/wimpLink]'s patented style of high-powered Celtic rock remains in tact but one wonders if the departure of Ivan Drever after [wimpLink albumId="11684548"]This Strange Place[/wimpLink] also meant that much of the traditional component of this band had also vanished. There are moments of brilliance like "La Grand Nuit du Port de Peche" and "5/4 Madness," which suggest that things haven't changed at all for this band, but the overriding feel of this album hearkens back to the direction that Live! Not Enough Shouting hinted at -- that this is now a band that wishes to suppress their traditional roots in favor of a more boisterous guitar sound. Hence, some of the pizzazz of those earlier albums is lacking here. ~ Dave Sleger