Year : 2014
Style : Epic Heavy Metal
Country : Greece
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 118 mb
Info:
Battleroar is a traditional epic heavy metal band formed in Athens in September 2000.The roots of the band’s style sink deep into the sound of legendary 80s American and European bands such as Manilla Road, Omen, Cirith Ungol, Brocas Helm, Manowar, Jag Panzer and Heavy Load. The band’s name was in fact taken from the lyrics to Heavy Load’s song ‘Singing Swords’ (‘I loved the Battleroar’).Their first album Battleroar (2005) and their second album Age of Chaos (2006) were received very well in the metal underground. In 2008 the third album ‘To Death and Beyond’ was released and it received excellent reviews worldwide. Battleroar is also known for being a good live band and they have played all over Europe, including Spain, Italy, Ireland, Belgium and Germany.In 2009 the band parted ways with guitar player Manolis Karazeris and vocalist Marco Concoreggi. They were temporarily replaced by Stelios Sovolos on guitar and John Papanikolaou (ex Innerwish) on vocals. This line-up played some shows in Holland and Greece.In September 2010 the band announced that Antreas Sotiropoulos (Everdome, Wolfcry) is the permanent new guitar player.Currently the band is working on new music and rehearsing every week, while searching thoroughly for a new singer that they feel is right for the band.
Album:
On their fourth full-length release, “Blood of Legends”, Greek band BATTLEROAR fly the flag high for epic-sounding traditional Metal. Their first album in six years is heavy, powerful, and, most importantly, entertaining from beginning to end.The band compliments their otherwise standard Metal setup, with a vocalist (Gerrit Mutz), bassist (Stavros Aivaliotis), drummer (Nick Papadopoulos), and two guitarists (Antreas Sotiropoulos and Kostas Tzortzis), with a violinist (Alex Papadiamantis). It’s not a common instrument in Metal, even less common than the piano, and varies in impact across the album. Opener “Stormgiven” is a quiet, instrument-only piece, and the violin works well here with its soft melodies melding and accompanying acoustic guitar. The beginning of “Poisoned Well” makes good use of the instrument as well, but somewhat overshadows the main guitar riff that comes in around the 1-minute mark, which works slightly to the song’s detriment. Sometimes the violin is great, but sometimes it just feels unnecessary.The songs on the album are, on average, somewhat long, though it never really feels like it. “The Swords Are Drawn”, which clocks in at 5:26, is an excellent track, with the band powering through at a thundering pace on the strength of one of the album’s best riffs. The aforementioned “Poisoned Well”, is an overall strong track, building up from its crushing, dramatic power chord march to the pounding drums and shouts of “Warriors!” to the soft acoustic guitar that closes it out.“The Swords Are Drawn” and the title track are of a similar mold, the latter’s impeccable guitar playing, driving rhythm section and strong vocals carrying the song. The riff starting around the 3:00 mark is particularly impressive, simple, yet effective, especially in its use of pinch-harmonics to give it more bite. BATTLEROAR are not an overly-technical band, but the guys know their instruments well, and it’s very clear in their playing, which is splendid throughout. Mutz isn’t exactly the most exciting singer I’ve ever listened to, but to his credit, he brings a ton of energy, attitude, and emotion to each song. He has his fair share of highlights across the album. The horseshoe clopping sound preceding the opening of “Immortal Chariot”, is a nice touch, and the band rages through the rest of the song with a captivating intensity.“The Curse Of Medea” is another impressive number, with its exotic melodies and plodding pace lulling the listener into a false sense of tranquility before giving way to a full-on, metallic assault that borderlines Speed Metal. On this song, as well as the equally memorable “Chivalry”, Mutz’s frequent employment of a harsher delivery adds to the aggression of the faster sections, while he gives perhaps his most expressive performance with the multifaceted, Power Metal goodness of “Valkyries Above Us”, which also boasts some classy, clean-picked guitar sections that balance out the song just right. “Exile Eternal” is the album’s de facto last hurrah, crushingly heavy and gloriously melodic. “Relentless Waves” closes things out with another subdued acoustic/violin-only piece that bookends the album nicely.All in all, “Blood of Legends” is a solid effort from the guys in BATTLEROAR. The band has a really good feel for songwriting, and they are just plain good at what they do: delivering quality Heavy Metal music. For Metal fans of any kind, fans of good guitar playing, and especially fans of epic / Power Metal, this is a release well worth checking out.
Line-Up:
Gerrit Mutz - Vocals (2012-present) - See also: Angel of Damnation, Dawn of Winter, Sacred Steel, ex-Tragedy Divine, ex-Cemetery, ex-Variety of Arts, ex-Astral Door
Kostas "H.K." Tzortzis - Guitars (2000-present) - See also: Arpyian Horde
Antreas Sotiropoulos - Guitars (2010-present) - See also: Everdome, ex-Bloodshed, ex-Obduktion
Stavros Aivaliotis - Bass (2011-present) - See also: ex-Bloodstained, ex-Angelo Perlepes' Mystery, ex-Fading Reality
Alex Papadiamantis - Violin
Nick Papadopoulos - Drums (2000-present) - See also: As I Suffer Silently, ex-Furor
Tracklist:
01. Stormgiven 03:52 instrumental
02. The Swords Are Drawn 05:26
03. Poisoned Well 07:14
04. Blood of Legends 05:41
05. Immortal Chariot 07:21
06. The Curse of Medea 05:38
07. Valkyries Above 08:48
08. Chivalry (Noble Armor) 04:45
09. Exile Eternal 07:57
10. Relentless Waves 03:04 instrumental
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