Two Tragedy Poets (...and a Caravan of Weird Figures) is an acoustic album which sounds far less acoustic than you might think, since Elvenking don't take the opportunity here to explore the acoustic sound. The album plays like a practice session of songs which they didn't use on a 'real' album. Why make an acoustic album and not do anything with acoustic sound? My theory here is that if Elvenking plugged in and re-recorded the entire lot, it wouldn't sound much different, just louder. The Metal/acoustic thing has been tired since the "unplugged" KISS set on MTV in the 90's, and all the hapless bastards that joined in that dopey craze. Given that doing the acoustic thing is meant to show another side of the band, why then Elvenking, don't you show it? More often then not, bands release the acoustic recording to intimate some greater musicianship. It's a sales ploy in my opinion.

Nevertheless, Two Tragedy Poets… is not without some interesting moments. Let's start with the only tune that is not unplugged, a cover of Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven is a Place on Earth." I know it's not a popular thing to cover such songs among some Metal circles, but I always enjoy it, though Elvenking don't do much with it other than play it louder. As for everything else, there's no doubt Elvenking know how to put a song together, at moments sounding poppy and powerful all at once, like on "My Little Moon" and "Ask a Silly Question." The singer Damna continues to explore range, venturing into lower ends at times with some awesome raspy Rock 'n Roll vocals on "From Blood to Stone" and "Not My Final Song," then sweet emotional range on "Miss Conception." He's gotten better with each record.

The album fails for me in regard to the acoustic concept, in spite of some decent songs, which could have been a whole lot better had Elvenking tried something slightly inventive. As I write, I've tried to think of a recent example of a Metal/acoustic recording which captures the emotion unplugging requires, yet doesn't sound like KISS doing "Rock and Roll All Nite" with a banjo. On Lizzy Borden's latest album, Appointment with Death, they included an untitled bonus track, an acoustic version of "Tomorrow Never Comes" that cleverly disregards the power of the plugged in version, sounding and feeling like a completely different song with different meaning and intent. For that song alone, both versions, is the album definitely worth buying.

written by Alan Gilkeson

Playing time: 43:04