Search - Elvenking :: Heathenreel

Metal not just for metal fans

bob613 | Qc, Canada | 04/06/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't listen to metal. I'm not talking Limp Bizkit metal, I'm talking Rhapsody, Iced Earth... I love a few metal songs, but I never thought I'd go buy an entire album. But I did when I listened to Elvenking. This band's metal is so appealing it charmed many people I know who never liked metal before.What may drive people to listen to this music is that it sounds so natural. Each track comes together so nicely it sounds as if the 5 bands members just starting playing and the music came out on its own (but you just know they've worked really hard on this). There is also the mix of clear and deep voices, not to forget women voices at times, that is just incredibly put together. Four people actually sing in the last song, Seasonspeech (they sometimes sing one after another, sometimes together). The first minute of that song will bring tears to your eyes.As for the other songs, they all have lives of their own. Pagan Purity is the most average song on the album, probably because it's the one most ressembling other metal bands. I'm not saying it's bad, it's very good. It's just the one with the less personality. Other tracks worth a mention are Skywards (this one is really slow until the end where it breaks down into one of the greatest song endings), Conjuring of the 14th (that successfully recreates the mood of a horor movie) and A Dreadful Stain (which, for a while, I thought was the worst song on the album. After a couple of hearings, it became one of the best).This album is recommanded to anyone, whether you're a metal fan or not. However, I would recommand a listen first if you are not. Chances are, you'll recognize the genius behind the music. "And that's not a bad thing. That's a good thing.""

Awesome new breed of metal

Jonathan Wills | DeLand, FL United States | 07/19/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Elvenking is a fairly new metal band out of Italy, and as such I would expect nothing like this album. They are very unlike other Italian metal bands in that their style is Folkmetal, at least that is what Elvenking this best describes their own music, and I would be inclined to agree.First off, few albums deserve a 5 star rating. Though I had a hard time deciding what to rate this album, I gave it 5 stars for several reasons:First, every song on this album is worth at least 4 stars on its own. Every other one I would call great, and this is most of them.Second, Elvenking displays a surprisingly wide range of skills in this one album. Combining folk and metal is something of an accomplishment in itself, and listening to this album makes me think 'How come I haven't heard anyone else do this before?' The tracks range from heavy guitars (The Dweller of Rhymes) to more melodic tracks (Hobs and Feathers) to tracks featuring primarily guitar and fiddle (Skywards) to purely instrumental (To Oak Woods Bestowed), and yet they all work together very well (that is to say, they all feel like they belong on the same album, which might not be expected from such different tracks). Third, many metal bands have been known to mix deep, growling male vocals with softer female vocals for an interesting contrast (Nightwish come to mind here). While many bands do this and it sounds 'interesting', Elvenking manages to mix several different distinct vocals and it sounds amazing. White Willow has a verse sung with male vocals and growling male vocals singing the same words together, and the result is the feeling that the character being portrayed in the song is showing much more intense emotion. The most notable track in this sense, however, is the final track, Seasonspeech. This track has four different vocal parts (clean male vocals, growling male vocals, and two very different female vocals), one for each season. They sing separately at times, together at times, and some times they are all singing their own verses. The last time I heard anything like this done this well was Simon and Garfunkle's Scarborough Fair. The effect is quite astonishing. Rather than just being an interesting mix they work together and complement each other in a way that probably can't really be described in words.Overall, this is an amazing album. If you are looking for something new and fresh in metal, this is an excellent investment."

Excellent is an understatement

Mike | NY, USA | 07/16/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If your a Blind Guardian, Iced Earth, and/or Nightwish fan, you should definitly check Elvenking out. This CD is excellent to say the very least, the songs get embedded into your head. Really, to sum this up.. Elvenking is definitly worth checking out.. I highly recommend it!! If your into Power Metal, and have not heard this awesome band out yet, what are you waiting for?"