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Elvenking: Era
Elvenking: Era
Melodic (Folk) Power Metal
4.0/5.0
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AFM Records
by Craig Hartranft, 09.06.2012
Is Era, Elvenking's seventh title, the natural follow-up to the pop accessible power metal romanticism of Red Silent Tides or a return to (some of) the LotR geekery of the past? I'll lean to the former.
Elvenking: so tough with their plastic weapons.
Not to let you forget that they are power metal band with folk elements, Elvenking gives you The Loser and I Am the Monster, and Walking Dead and Chronicle of a Frozen Era later. For this mixture, few bands do it better with effortlessness and elegance. (I always found it ironic, for this Italian band, that their idea of 'folk' is less Italian and more Celtic.)
Yet, even these songs have a certain rock groove accessibility, and maybe not the romanticism of the former album. But, conversely, there's Midnight Skies Winter Sighs and Forget-Me-Not, pure melodic metal ear candy, and less rambunctious and rugged power metal. If these aren't persuasive enough to convince you that this Era is Red Silent Tides part deux, then listen to acoustic melodrama of The Time of Your Life.
Nevertheless, there is a difference. Where there is power metal, it's certainly more energized, and that echoes some of Elvenking's past. Chronicle of a Frozen Era shows this, but also demonstrates some of their prog nuances, a factor in the previous album as well. Ultimately, Elvenking is band that continues to evolve, even if it means that they're merely fluid in their transformation. Recommended.
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In Short
With Era, Elvenking is band that continues to evolve, even if it means that they're merely fluid in their transformation. Recommended.
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Formed in 1999 by singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Erik Martensson, Sweden's Eclipse is well into their third decade of making music. In the recent past, their recordings and reputation have ... [ Read More ]