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Wuthering Heights have travelled a long road since the early 90s and have previously gone under names such as Minas Tirith and Vergelmir. Hailing from the Danish capital of Copenhagen it wasn't until 1994 / 1995 that they entered the studio to record their first demo tape "Vergelmir". That demo was recorded at the Sweet Silence Studio where bands like Metallica and Blind Guardian have also recorded albums. Today only Erik Ravn remains from the original line-up but since he is responsible for the music it doesn't really matter to the listener. "Far From The Madding Crowd" was a novel by Thomas Hardy which was published in 1874 and there is a strong historical / fantasy atmosphere surrounding this recording, in the music but also the lyrics and artwork. Many musicians have come in and out of the band or just contributed to one of their albums but they all have something in common - they are some of the most skilled instrumentalists in Europe. This is the fourth album from a band that I have unfortunately not come in contact with before. I kind of regret that now as this is a great piece of music. Creating more than an hour of quality progressive / symphonic metal like this is not easy but Erik Ravn has managed to compose this album which does hardly never becomes boring. That if anything is impressive. Symphonic arrangements, dynamic guitarwork, some folk music touches and well thoughtout song structures work together in perfect balance. The current vocalist Nils Patrik Johansson (Astral Doors, Rickard Andersson's Space Odyssey) is doing a marvellous job as well. At first I didn't really like his voice but eventually I got used to it and he does have a powerful one. The way he sings actually reminds me a lot of Damnagoras from the Italian progressive folk metal band Elvenking although his voice has a wider range. A very good beginning for the genre in 2004.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Gather Ye Wild |
| 2. The Road Goes Ever On |
| 3. Tree |
| 4. Longing For The Woods Pt.1 |
| 5. Highland Winds |
| 6. Longing For The Woods Pt.2 |
| 7. The Bollard |
| 8. Bad Hobbits Die Hard |
| 9. Longing For The Woods Pt.3 |
| 10. Land Of Olden Glory |
| 11. Lament For Lórien |
: 61.17
| Buy other Wuthering Heights albums |
