Great (four stars out of five)
I'll preface this review by saying that I normally wouldn't review an album from a band like Elvenking based solely on my personal preference; I'm not a huge power metal fan, although there are a few exceptions to this. However, after receiving a review copy of Two Tragedy Poets (...And a Caravan of Weird Figures) I was immediately both surprised and impressed. This wasn't at all the album I thought it would be, and it's the kind of album that can cause a complete reversal of a person's preconceptions about a band. Even though this review comes rather late after the album's release, I think it's important that the readers here give this one a chance.
Basically, the album is more akin to a folk album than anything: it's mostly acoustic, it uses plenty of folk instruments that give a decidedly Irish feel, and it's song structures are fairly simplistic. The songs feel genuine to that spirit: it doesn't sound like a power metal band is trying desperately to fit into a style that it can't pull of. If I had to make comparisons, I'd suggest that this album sounds quite a bit like Spain's Mago de Oz, but with English lyrics.
The songs themselves are mostly great with a couple of exceptions. The album starts with a short instrumental that sets the folky tone of the disc, leading into perhaps the most catchy of the album's tracks: "Another Awful Hobs Tale." Aside from the distored guitar melody, everything on this track screams Irish folk, from the lyrics to the vocal stylings. This feeling continues throughout the album, and while it could be said that most of the songs sound pretty similar, the band does manage to find a good balance of fast songs and slower ones. That coupled with the fact that not many bands successfully capture this sound means that the album has some serious lasting appeal.
There are some songs that don't completely impress. "Ask a Silly Question" might be a bit too silly for its own good due to the many times that "no" is yelled in the middle of the song. In addition, though the cover of "Heaven is a Place on Earth" is extremely strong, it's also incredibly similar in sound to Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer." This isn't exactly a negative quality, but I did get the feeling that the arrangement was not quite as original as it could have been.
Despite not being incredible throughout, Elvenking offers a fun and unique listening experience with this album. It came as a definite surprise to me, and it's worth a look to see if it'll take hold of you in the same way.
Andrew Kauz
www.progressivemelodies.com
Basically, the album is more akin to a folk album than anything: it's mostly acoustic, it uses plenty of folk instruments that give a decidedly Irish feel, and it's song structures are fairly simplistic. The songs feel genuine to that spirit: it doesn't sound like a power metal band is trying desperately to fit into a style that it can't pull of. If I had to make comparisons, I'd suggest that this album sounds quite a bit like Spain's Mago de Oz, but with English lyrics.
The songs themselves are mostly great with a couple of exceptions. The album starts with a short instrumental that sets the folky tone of the disc, leading into perhaps the most catchy of the album's tracks: "Another Awful Hobs Tale." Aside from the distored guitar melody, everything on this track screams Irish folk, from the lyrics to the vocal stylings. This feeling continues throughout the album, and while it could be said that most of the songs sound pretty similar, the band does manage to find a good balance of fast songs and slower ones. That coupled with the fact that not many bands successfully capture this sound means that the album has some serious lasting appeal.
There are some songs that don't completely impress. "Ask a Silly Question" might be a bit too silly for its own good due to the many times that "no" is yelled in the middle of the song. In addition, though the cover of "Heaven is a Place on Earth" is extremely strong, it's also incredibly similar in sound to Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer." This isn't exactly a negative quality, but I did get the feeling that the arrangement was not quite as original as it could have been.
Despite not being incredible throughout, Elvenking offers a fun and unique listening experience with this album. It came as a definite surprise to me, and it's worth a look to see if it'll take hold of you in the same way.
Andrew Kauz
www.progressivemelodies.com
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