Oh good god. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time Magius.
That said, how can I disappoint. I've been working on and off on an Elvenking sheet, so without further Ado, I present you with a lot of reading material.
Elvenking: A Primer.
So now for a bit of time weve known that Elvenking has been announced for Progpower 9, and Im sure the majority of you area already sick of hearing about them. Im hoping that this is the Elvenking topic where you can find useful information, those of you who are new to the band and would like some information on the band and their releases. So, without further ado, I give you Elvenking: A Primer.
I first seriously started following the band back in 2001. Around the time of the release of Heathenreel, Elvenkings first official album. I was looking for something new, and had not had much exposure to Folky influences in music overall, and found Heathenreel to be extremely refreshing. Spinning it now, I hear a lot of things that could be considered freshman errors in sound, quality, songwriting, etc. However, its just these inconsistencies on this album that give it that special raw feeling that makes it simply one of the best albums ever released. From the opening track To Oak Woods Bestoweds flowing melody into the face crushing Pagan Purity you will gain a sense of wow, as we quickly move deeper into the album. Damnagoras vocal abilities are full of incredible power, and while not as clean as most people may be accustomed to, still feed awesome energies into the songs. The CD closes with the 7 minute Seasonspeech which some consider to be Elvenkings Opus, or trademark defining song, featuring 4 people on vocals, representing the different seasons. Listening to this album start to finish leaves the listener with a smile on their face, as the feeling throughout is fun. One of the charms of Heathenreel, as mentioned, is the raw form of the songs. Nothing is overdone, and everything seems to be straight from nature.
After the release of Heathenreel, the band had some internal problems resulting in a split between Elvenking and their lead singer, Damnagoras. This was a crushing blow to the Elvenking community, who were (and continue to be) extremely tight-knit. It was determined to be for the best, as Aydan, Jarpen, and Zender would continue to carry on the Elvenking name. A search for the new singer and other circumstances led to a 3 year time table between First and Second album. A new singer was presented to the Elvenking community, Kleid, and it was determined that Elyghen, who had performed both Violin and some keys on Heathenreel would be a permanent fixture in the band. Excitement welled up even further as news caught wind that Damnagoras had founded his own new band called Leprechaun! Fans pawed at both bands, Elvenking for snippets of Kleids voice, and Leprechaun for a demo release. Eventually, both were satisfied, and anticipation grew for the release of the second album from the EK camp.
WYRD hit the proverbial streets to mixed reviews. Kleid wasnt Damnagoras. It seemed the band had chosen to go with more of a, what I consider, traditional sounding power metal vocalist. Throughout the WYRD CD, the songwriting duties fell to Aydan and Jarpen, and the melodies followed the folk-like upbeat rhythms of Heathenreel, and Kleid sang his parts well. Were treated to songs like The Losers Ball opening for a much heavier Pathfinders, and The Silk Dilemma. Closing the CD is Aydans 14 minute A Poem for the Firmament. Overall, WYRD is much heavier and a lot tighter than Heathenreel. A good album in and of itself, but for me... it just doesnt feel like Elvenking material. Talk has been circulating for years in rumors of re-recording some tracks. I, for one, would enjoy that option immensely.
To say I was disappointed with the second album would not be huge news to anyone whos known me as an Elvenking fan for any length of time, and the band seemed to be a split on it as the fans, for after one CD, the EK camp made a huge announcement that riled fans up for the next release. Damnagoras was BACK. The band had gotten together to talk and to work things out after a rough recording session. This fantastic news was, sadly, not to be the only shakeup in the band, for they traded singer for guitar player. Jarpen had politely excused himself from the band not long after Damnas return sighting personal reasons. He was gracious enough, however, to stick around through the recordings of the 3rd release, The Winter Wake.
TWW was released with high hopes among fans shortly after the Damnagoras Returns! Bomb was dropped on the fans. Hard hitting familiarity on the vox kicks off hard in Trows Kind and we all knew Elvenking was back and better than ever. I didnt like the direction WYRD had taken, and was slightly nervous about the 3rd release, but as we went deeper and deeper into The Winter Wake, it was clear that the evolution I had hoped for from Heathenreel was there. THESE were the songs I had been waiting for for nearly 4 years. Such gems on this CD include Swallow Tail, which is a progressive influenced Folk Metal song, The Winter Wake, which is just straight up in your face power, and a refreshingly upbeat Rouse Your Dreams. For those of us who enjoy a softer touch, we are treated to 2 awesome ballads called On The Morning Dew and a slightly more downtrodden (but still fantastic) Disillusions Reel. Its amazing to see just how far Aydan and Damnagoras songwriting has come in just a short time, not to mention the huge improvement of the quality of the music, played and sung. Vocals and melodies are cleaner, the mix is superb, everything comes together in this album like perfection.
And thats as far as we go for now. It brings us up to a new controversy in the Elvenking world: The Scythe. A self proclaimed album about death that is both heavy and powerful, wherein a lot of people have commented a lack of folky-feeling. I have yet to hear this release (CD on its way from Italy) so I cant comment on it. I do have to say that I was extremely skeptical (as so far, I have been every other album from this band) about the topic chosen when announced, but having heard the samples and the INCREDIBLY catchy The Divided Heart I have no worries about how this CD is going to play out. Couple that with RAVE reviews from the official Elvenking Forum, and I solidly believe they have another hit on their hands.
The Scythe has sold out in almost every store around, and even the band members had trouble finding it (I had commandeered Aydan to purchase a limited Edition copy for me, which he couldnt find.. he eventually agreed to sell me one of the bands copies, woot.) LaserCD has the newest release a few weeks early (Scheduled NA release date: November 6th) so take advantage and get your copy!
