The unique trademark that the Scandinavian northmen (and women) presented on their debut has not been sold or abandoned. Unlike many other bands who have found their own personality early in their career they have luckily not decided to dig a hole for themselves and stay put. The male / female dual vocals have been developed further, the keyboards have been given a more important role both as an instrument on its own but also adding a symphonic dreamlike atmosphere to several songs. Battlelore have attacked every possibility of improvement with a focused mind and the result is definitely as impressive as the surprise effect of their magnificent debut.

The male growling vocals from Patrik Mennander are well articulated and follow the chopping heavy guitar riffs most of the time while his female counterpart Kaisa Joukki add a slightly more melodic touch. It is refreshing not to hear the traditional beauty vs. the best vocals from a Napalm band. Battlelore have a clear vision of their own and the creative forces within the band are strong enough to produce songs close to perfection. The obvious hit of the album is the opening track "Sons Of Riddermark" with its simple but memorable vocal lines but there are several other good songs like "Attack Of The Orcs" and "Dragonslayer". Killer album that will slay all enemies for good!

written by Vincent Eldefors

Playing time: 43.02