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BATTLELORE :
WHERE THE SHADOWS LIE / SWORD'S SONG

Just looking at the covers of these two CDs, I was sooo sure they were gonna suck. This just looked like it was going to be the worst blast of limp-wristed Power-Metal to show up in a long time. I was already trying to figure out some snappy sounding put-downs. I was franticly trying to come up with synonyms for "lame" and "weak", and a politically correct way to say: "this is gay". I was going to be a real asshole about it. Well, I should have taken' a listen first, as this is NOT the lame-ass Power-Metal I thought it would be. Sure, there may be a silly dragon on the cover of the new disc, and yes, all the lyrics revolve around J.R.R. Tolkien and Middle Earth, but the music itself is much different than what I expected. Battlelore combine many genres into one. There are elements of Power, Goth, Doom, and Death-Metal all present and accounted for. They have raped each Metal realm of its best quality; from Power-Metal they have taken melody, fine musicianship, and the use of keys, from the Goth & Doom-Metal camps, they have learned to craft a dark, emotional atmosphere, and from the Death-Metal world, they have learned the art of speed, double bass drums, and power. The band impresses with 3 layers of vocals; a clean male voice, a gruff, harsh male growl, and a beautiful, clean female tone. The band is truly in a place all by themselves. There is not a single band that I can firmly compare them to. I guess if I had to, I would say they are closest to the heavier of the Goth-Metal acts like Trail Of Tears, but that's still off the mark. Basically, these guys blew me away. I should have known better, as they are from Finland, which just seems to be the ultimate hotbed of new Metal. As to which CD is the superior product, that's hard to say. Both are great, but I might lean towards the 2002 release (Shadows), as it has slightly more edge to it. Another surprising tidbit of information, is that these guys have only been together since '99, they got a promo CD recorded the same year, and were already recording "Shadows" in 2001! I don't think I've recommended a CD with a dragon on the cover since I was 15, man, these guys even dress like they just walked off the set of Peter Jackson's "The Two Towers", swords, costumes, you name it, but I gotta say, this stuff is pure gold. These guys should soon take Europe by storm, but I do see trouble for the band in the future. With their name, and that cover art, many people who would greatly appreciate this stuff, are going to pass it over based on their first impression. Based on the art, I would never purchase this if I just saw it on the record store shelf, and didn't know anything about the band. On the other hand, many who pick it up expecting your basic Symphonic Dungeons & Dragons Power-Metal, are going to think this too heavy, and be put off. Let's hope reviews like this will help educate the masses. Fore more info, check 'em out at battlelore.net.
RATING = 9 / 8.5 Metal (Released 2002 / 2003)

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BATTLELORE :
THIRD AGE OF THE SUN

The first two discs from this Tolkien loving bunch totally took me by surprise a couple of years ago, (see above) and now the band has done so yet again. Maybe it was the lame cover art that lowered my expectations for this disc, or maybe I had just forgotten how good this band was, but when I first went to play "Third Age Of The Sun", it knocked me on my ass! The band has gone through a bit of turmoil since the last disc, switching vocalists etc., but the final outcome is proof that they are as strong as ever! Normally, I don't like to endorse or recommend any band that gets it's sole inspiration from the Lord Of The Rings, let alone a band that actually dresses up in costumes based on the books, but here I must make an exception. These guys smoke! I don't think I could ever bring myself to go to one of their concerts mind you, but in the comfort of my own home, I'll gladly crank this sucker up to "10"! This time out, the band really seems to be playing to the Goth-Metal crowd that sorely misses the early days of Theatre Of Tragedy, with such works as "Velvet Darkness They Fear", etc. The whole so-called "Beauty and the Beast", (male / female) vocal trade off works perfectly. Newcomer Tomi Mykkanen can growl as well as any Death-Metal screamer out there, and Kaisa Jouhki's delicate voice is simply beautiful. She also looks oddly hot dressed up as an Elf... oh Christ, my nerdly past is showing. The songs are powerful, full of emotion, and surprisingly heavy! What else do ya need to know? This is the perfect disc to get your "geek" on to.... now where's my sword? Oh, by the way, if you've really got a thing for Middle-Earth, then you might want to hunt down the limited edition Digipack version, as it has three bonus tracks; "Elessar's Call", "Alatar - Forgotten Wizards II", and "Dwimmerlaik".
RATING = 8.5 Goth-Metal (Released 2005)

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