ELVENSTORM – Of Rage And War

Elvenstorm is a four piece outfit of Power Metal fury from France. Of Rage And War is the band’s first full-length album after releasing a four-song demo called Storm ‘Em All in 2010. These guys are heavily influenced by such fiery Power Metal bands as Gamma Ray, Running Wild, and Grave Digger. Their brand of Metal is fast, furious, and highly energetic.

Elvenstorm is led by female vocalist Laura Ferreux. Although she may be small in stature, she produces some amazingly bold and strong vocals. Although her vocals are without a doubt full of passion, they are very straightforward. She may not have the widest vocal range, but makes up for it with a brash and candid style. There is absolutely no fluff to her singing; she puts every bit of energy into her vocals. One of the best displays of her talent can be heard on the song “Witchhammer” — the chorus requires her to crescendo up a key with each line to an eventual climaxing high note, which exemplifies both her passion and up-front style.

Another key element to the success of Elvenstorm is the blazing guitarist Michael Hellstrom. His fast and heavy riffs, mixed with some very eccentric solos, make for a fun listen. There are times during the album, however, when Hellstrom tries to outdo himself by incorporating too much infuriated rage into the songs, when they could be downplayed a bit. A good example of this is the song “Black Visions”. There are obvious multiple layers of lightning-fast guitar riffs coming out at ludicrous speeds. Although it’s impressive from a talent perspective, it ends up drowning out the vocals and takes a considerable amount of substance away from the song.

One of the other noticeable ingredients in the Elvenstorm formula is the drumming of Felix Borner. There is certainly nothing subtle about him, as he pounds out the double bass drums with fervent enthusiasm. He is able to keep up with Hellstrom’s fast riffs, and then some. There are times when it seems like the two are trying to race each other to see who can play the fastest. Once again, this is remarkable from a dimension of talent, but it drowns out what could be more substantial music.

One of the best songs on the album is the mid-tempo track “Raven In A Blackened Sky”. Not only is it one of the only mid-tempo songs on the album, the song itself contains a significant amount of depth within the songwriting. The riffs are simplistic and not overdone, and Ferreux’s vocals are memorable and dynamic.

Ultimately, the big strike against this album is the lack of diversity. It’s certainly full of energy, and a fun listen. From a head-banging perspective, it ranks very high. Most of the songs are presented at the same ultra-fast tempo, plus the drowning out guitar riffs really hurt this one from being an instant classic.