BATTLELORE – Third Age Of The Sun

It is important to give new music a chance and to be open-minded, but this album just gives an impression of total confusion. It is hard to “get” the music of Battlelore. It feels like there is no connection whatsoever by this Finnish band.

Third Age of the Sun, which was released on the 25th of July, 2005, is the third album from this band, and their music has gone through some tremendous changes – and not at all in a good way. The previous album (Sword’s Song) is much more interesting with their original Folk-inspired Metal. This recent album is filled with typical woman–fronted Goth Metal-wannabe. This may be a result of Patrik Mennander leaving the band, and the inheritor Tommi Mykkänen’s new influences on the music? Some of the songs are too similar to songs from bands like Rammstein and Gothminister.

Among the thirteen tracks on this album, there are no new musical ideas or styles in relation to Rock or Metal in any way. This album doesn’t manage to blow any brains away at all! Overall, it is sad that the band didn’t continue their style from the previous album.

Even though their music isn’t a revolution to the Metal scene, their instrumental skills are good, and the use of the flute in some songs is a plus. Track 2, “Storm of the Blades,” is quite a good song with a lot of anger and attitude. The drumming is great, and in some parts the guitarwork sounds very nice, but sadly the keyboard comes on too strong. The vocals of Mykkänen is cool, but the voice of the female part, Kaisa Jouhki, does not fit in at all.

Almost the entire album is filled with up-tempo songs, like “Thousand Caves,” which is one of the few good songs. On this track, Jouhki performs much better, and her voice has more feeling than in most of the other songs. On the technical side, this production is top notch. To cover the entire range of Metal, there are a few things lacking, but overall, not bad… it’s not like the listener will lose their faith in Metal music!

Hopefully Battlelore will go back to the fantasy-based Epic Metal they produced before this album, because the songs were better than average, mildly-Thrashy Metal. Before their image was that of a scathing War Metal attack, with powerful riffs and soaring, rage-inducing keyboards. Instead of continuing with that course, they give the listener some plodding, unimaginative music, that is full of clichés – it is time to move on, or in this case maybe move back!!!

Lineup

Kaisa Jouhki – Vocals
Tomi Mykkänen – Vocals
Jussi Rautio – Lead guitars
Jyri Vahvanen – Guitars
Timo Honkanen – Bass
Maria – Keyboards, Flute
Henri Vahvanen – Drums