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September 3, 2010 |
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01. Usvainen Rhûn
02. Storm Of The Blades
03. Ghân Of The Woods
04. Gwaith-I-Mírdain
05. Trollshaws
06. Elves Of Lúva
07. Valier - Queens Of The Valar
08. Thousand Caves
09. Cloaked In Her Unlight
10. Of Orcs And Elves
11. Touch Of Green And Gold
12. Pallando - Forgotten Wizards I
13. Gollum's Cry
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Before slipping "Third Age Of The Sun" into my player, my opinion of BATTLELORE was formed entirely by their press photos and advertisements. One guy paints himself green; the entire band looks as though they're dressed for the theater stage, rather than a concert stage. Without knowing too much about the group's history, I can say that the BATTLELORE saga began when seven people who didn't know that Lord of the Rings was just a book decided to form a band.
The name "BATTLELORE" itself suggests power metal that's fruitier than an apple orchard. I expected to hear unabashed MANOWAR influence coming through in choruses like "Battlelore: born to live forevermore", but musically the band is much different. Of course, different can also be a synonym for suck. OPETH is different, for example, but the only time I'd listen to them is if I wanted the potency of a sleeping pill, without the hassle of getting a prescription.
When the first proper song gets underway, it's clear that the band are treading a more atmospheric, pagan-metal route. The vocals consist primarily of death growls and female singing, of a soft, non-operatic variety. At first, the death growls sound out of place, as the music is anything but brutal. The growls themselves aren't anything spectacular, but they become more digestible with each listen. Surprisingly, what this album isn't lacking is solid guitar riffs, and the production ensures that they add to rather than distract from the ambience built by the keyboards and female vocals. Don't expect squealing guitar solos on this album: it would be more absurd than the image of Gandalf playing a Flying V. With solid cymbal work throughout the disc, Henri Vahvanen proves that there's no man more deserving of the roles of drummer and orc.
The opening track is by far the most Metal, after which the album mellows into what could only be described as an easy-listening experience. The songs bleed together, and before you know it, you're on track twelve, listening to some Gollum impersonation. "Elves Of Lúva" isn't far removed from what Loreena McKennitt would put out. "Ghân Of The Woods" is the album highlight, thanks to the memorable interplay between the orc growls and "ba-ba-ba's" in the background. Nothing on here is bad, but with an unlucky thirteen tracks, the album feels a bit too long.
Atmospheric, different and certainly worthy of a listen, BATTLELORE aren't the novelty act that their over-the-top image would suggest. If you're a "Dungeons and Dragons" fan, you might be disappointed, because the album isn't the soundtrack to bludgeoning Owlbears with a +3 mace. Instead, "Third Age Of The Sun" is more like the soundtrack to the album cover of "Somewhere Far Beyond", where you have an adventuring parting taking a break from the splendors of battle, and playing tunes around the campfire.
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