Battlelore was started by Jyri Vahvanen and Miika Kokkola officially in 1999.
They did two promos from 1999 to 2000 (Warrior's Tale & Dark Fantasy) to showcase the idea to labels. Napalm Records quickly snatched them up and they released their debut "Where The Shadows Lie" in 2001. The album received good reviews and now they have returned with a strong follow up entitled "Sword's Song". Once again they have relied on J.R.R. Tolkien's work to inspire the songs lyrical content. They do it very well too I might add. They lost only one member between the two albums. Raging vocalist and 7 string axe slinger Tommi Halvo. The split was amicable and Patrik Mennander stepped in to do both clean and raging male vocals on this latest release.
Jussi Rautio has joined the band to replace the missing guitar. Miitri Aaltonen returns again to handle the production, engineering, and mixing of the album. The sound quality and production on the newest release is leaps and bounds ahead of the first record. Not that the first record was bad, sound wise, but you can obviously hear the difference between the two. This record should make Miitri a much sought after producer/engineer.
It has been my pleasure to surpass the required 10 listens and I'm more into the 30's now. This album is more focused and heavier than the first. No soft interludes like the first record except for the majestic
"Horns of Gondor" which is a beautiful interlude into it's following track
"The War Of Wrath". I have the Limited Edition Digi Pak with a bonus track
"The Curse Of The Kings" which is no throw away track. It is as heavy and rocking as the other 11 tracks on the disc.
Niche carving has to be one of the hardest things for any band in any style to music to do.
Battlelore began that niche carving with their first album. It represents the initial shaping or outline of their art.
"Sword's Song" represents the continued carving that actually sees a recognizable shape. They are into the details and polishing of the work now. As their art starts becoming clearer, so to does the vision of this listener to look ahead with excitement as they achieve what is to be a grand imprint on Epic/ Fantasy Metal history.
Let me take you through my first impressions of this album.
- Relief
They moved forward and progressed.
- Majestic
Grand beauty in the melodies.
- Empirical
A creating of a new variation in Epic/Fantasy metal. One sure to be copied.
- Ominous
Such a huge undertaking by a many membered band. To be able to collectively create such a soundscape is ominous. A testament to teamwork.
- Epic
A grand tale in each song. All song's drawn from Tolkien's voluminous works , yet they maintain cohesiveness via the music and vocal work. Essentially what we have here is a movie manifest in a band!
Now to the music: There is no one standout instrument. They all serve one another in perfect symbiosis. This, I believe, is what creates the beautiful wall of sound. The music is more concerned with the power that lies in melody than sheer technical overindulgence. The band is tight and they most certainly can play their butts off but they serve what the song's need rather than what their ego's need. You'll find no guitar or keyboard solo's here, the song's don't need it. You will find yourself both banging thy head and listening intently.
As for the vocals. Here we have a key ingredient in the genius of this band. No other band except
Star One has achieved such a great balance of male and female vocal work. The female vocals by Kaisa Jouhki are flawless and she has a mid-range tone that is elegant and haunting. She never falls into the high pitched operatic squeals that plague so many female fronted metal bands. Thank God for that! She is pristine, powerful and sweet in her work.
Patrik Mennander handles the male vocals, like I mentioned before. He does a great death metal growl and superb clean male vocals. The death metal growl is better than most because you can actually understand what he's saying. He is melodious and powerful, and his balls are the size of a couple of basketballs. Barney(of Napalm Death) would be proud.
They harmonize with one another at times and it is beautiful. They really worked hard on the vocals and it shows in the songs. Top notch!
Finally we get to the artwork of the album. In this case it's the DigiPak. The cover art and cd art are a painting by Ted Nasmith. A longtime Tolkien inspired artist. It's a piece entitled "The Slaying Of Glaurung". It's expertly layed out with a nice border around the painting. Inside the booklet is filled with excellent and original photography of the band in various Tolkien inspired costumes and the lyrics to each song. The photo's were snapped by Ann Nyman at MWS studios. Take a look at www.mws.fi for more info on the photography. The band members actively create with Sadetta Postareff on the outfits, armor, and makeup to achieve their "look".
Final thought's: Are there any standout tracks? No, they are all good! If you like one you like them all. To compare them to any other band would be a disservice to them. They are unique and worth the money and time to get to know them. Soon we will be able see them on their own DVD entitled "The Journey" which is both concept footage and live band footage. It is due to be released on Napalm records very soon! I will keep an eye out for that for you and review it when it is in my grubby little hands! Enjoy the fantasy that is
Battlelore!
Written by
David Friday, July 18, 2003
Show all reviews by DavidRatingsDavid: 9/10Members: No members have rated this album yet.
This article has been shown 3884 times. Go to the
complete list.
