Napalm/Sound Pollution
BATTELORE has found inspiration in Tolkien´s “The Children of Húrin”, especially in the character Túrin Turambar, for their new album. Epic fantasy metal & Tolkien go together like a horse and carriage. To be sure they patch things properly they´ve hired Janne Saksa at Sound Supreme Studio and Dan Swanö. Is this as inspired as the cover on the band´s sixth album?
Finnish metal with fairy-like vocals by Kaisa Jouhki and rough vocal parts by Tomi Mykkönen, keys and flute by Maria Honkanen, catchy meets beastial. Yes, we´ve heard it before. “Bloodstained” echoes of fantasy, but among all the soft notes the refrain is less convincing. The varied “Iron of Death” follows suite, rides on an inspired keyboard pattern while the drumming is amazingly thin. There are a number of “ok” in my notes and few exclamation marks, when the disc ends. Not until in “Fate of the Betrayed” and “Men as Wolves” the pace and intensity are to my liking. Their more fantasy-enchanting style works with me only in the seducing “Enchanted”. Most stuff on the album enters one ear and leaves through the next…fairly quickly.
Track List
Bloodstained
Iron of Death
Bow and Helm
Enchanted
Kärmessurma
Olden Gods
fate of the Betrayed
Men as Wolves
Last of the Lords
Doombound
Kielo
www.napalmrecords.com www.myspace.com/batteloremusic
