Battlelore - The Return Of The Shadow (Napalm Records)

English:CD-review
  Van Muylem    3 juni 2022

The time has come to wield your sword and charge back to the battlefield! Following their last studio album, Doombound (2011), and extensive touring, the collective took a creative break. But now, the long, lingering 10-year sleep of Finnish heavy metal force BATTLELORE will finally end with the release of their much awaited, seventh record, entitled The Return Of The Shadow!


The album title perfectly represents the band’s sensational comeback. Named after Tolkien’s original, shelved title for his legendary epic fantasy novel Fellowship of the Ring, BATTLELORE’s brand new album features nine Middle-earth themed songs, shining with the blistering aura the band has become known and loved for.

The Return Of The Shadow was recorded by Janne Saksa at the Sound Supreme Studios, Finland, and was mixed and mastered by Dan Swanö at Unisound Studios. As a special gift to fans, the album will also include a bonus EP including 3 songs written around the beginning of the band’s hiatus that, sound wise, are different from the tracks on the main album. The energy BATTLELORE showcases on The Return Of The Shadow, their first full-length album in more than 10 years, is immediately evident, making this record one of their strongest, heaviest and best works to date. Thankfully it’s not just their shadows, but the return of one of the most thrilling acts in heavy fantasy metal – welcome back, BATTLELORE!

Minas Morgul is the opening track and rocks from the start: epic fantasy metal as we all love it! The synth sounds like a symphonic ensemble whilst the vocals blend in and form a duet. I also hear some hard screaming and an angelic voice: like darkness fighting against the light! Chambers of Fire sounds like a perfect track to perform on stage (just listen to the beginning as it’s all fired up! Orcrist sounds mostly angelic, but also tells the dark story of the fights against Goblins, ogers … It’s also a typical beauty and the beast heavy metal track! Homecoming has a sweeter and more melodic touch as the other songs, however we still get screams, heavy guitars and hard hitting drums. The song carries a certain hope of getting things better and coming back stronger. Elvenking has a softer sound and a guitar that even sounds a bit bluesy. I can almost feel the magical world of the elves in here and all the beauty of it! Firekeeper has already been launched with a lyric video and has next to an epic feel also a proof of their exceptional song writing skills: diving deep into the dark facets of symphonic yet heavy metal realms and yet with soft and very melodic passages within the same song! Mirrormere is a hard hitter and feels like the world is exploding whilst an elves voice is guiding the good ones through the fierce battle. It’s one of the best songs on the album! Next one is called True Dragons where you hear an harder sound, more screaming and fighting and all with a doomed attitude. Towards the end the epic feel reigns and the song really gets the film score sound! Shadow of the East starts with a bluesy guitar. The epic feel reigns, just as the great sound. I also hear a bit of melancholia in it. It’s a nice end for this regular CD!

Next to this we also get the Lost Lands EP:

Avathar starts slowly and even has an acoustic guitar. The general sound of this song is softer and even Kaisa Jouhki’s vocals sound a bit different in the softer sung parts whilst Tomi Mykkänen sounds as if he’s screaming towards her from the top of a mountain. Caves of the Forgotten also starts softly, but with more percussion and Kaisa singing really high tones. The synth gives it a soft touch, keeping the Elfic feel intact. Last one is called Isenmouthe goes also for a softer side with even some whispering and a more melodic approach (and lesser screaming, just used to lift the tempo). It’s still the hardest of the past 3 songs!

Well: I had to listen to this album a whole day before I could finalize my review and I still have the feeling I should listen more to it and let it grow on me! The EP sound is clearly a bit different from the other tracks on the regular album. The regular album is a good follow up for the previous albums and will need to be played on stage! Hope to see them again and this time together with my son who has never seen them but always wanted to see them!

 

BATTLELORE are:

Tomi Mykkänen – Vocals

Kaisa Jouhki – Vocals

Maria Honkanen – Synths

Jyri Vahvanen – Guitars

Jussi Rautio – Guitars

Timo Honkanen – Bass

Henri Vahvanen - Drums