BATTLELORE The Return Of The Shadow

 

Whether it was by coincidence or design, scarcely a year after film director Peter Jackson released the first part of his epic Lord Of The Rings trilogy in 2001 - capturing the hearts and minds of J. R. R. Tolkien fans the world over - an unknown Finnish band by the name of Battlelore unleashed their debut album, ...Where The Shadows Lie. The songs were unashamedly based on Tolkien lore, with the band going so far as to get permission to use artwork created by illustrator Ted Nasmith, known for his work on the books The Lord Of The Rings, The Hobbit and The Silmarillion. It was the beginning of a successful career, with Battlelore releasing six albums between 2002 and 2011 and touring as much as they were able. Following the Doombound record, however, the band announced they were going on indefinite hiatus with no plans for the future. They stayed quiet as promised save for a couple festival shows in 2018, but much to their fanbase's surprise, Battlelore teased their return in early 2020, confirming in July of the same year that new music was in the works. That music surfaced in June 2022 as The Return Of The Shadow and its companion EP, Lost Lands. And a welcome return it is.

"To be honest I'm still trying to wrap my head around the idea it has been so long that we've been away," says vocalist Tomi Mykkänen. "Time flies, definitely. It was a long career already in 2011; six albums in 10 years, I think. We just got tired and weren't motivated to do this anymore. We stayed in touch, we saw each other, some of us played together in different bands, but Battlelore just wasn't interesting to us. We all knew that we would get back together and do something at some point, and before COVID hit we had actually planned a Finnish tour and had some festival dates lined up for 2020. "

"We had the songs for the new album by that point," he continues, "and we started talking about recording some of them, maybe releasing an EP. When the pandemic hit we had more time, so we made some demos of the songs that appear on the Lost Lands EP and realized, 'Whoa, we still know how to do this...' (laughs). From there we started writing more songs, and they were more upbeat - I don't know if I should use the word 'cheerful' (laughs) - compared to the ones we wrote for Lost Lands, and that's how we got the idea to split them up between and album and an EP."

In spite of being away from the trenches for a decade, Battlelore's 2011 line-up - which was solidified in 2004 - remained fully intact for The Return Of The Shadow.

"Truth be told, if it hadn't been all of us involved on the new album, we probably wouldn't have done it," says Mykkänen. "Battlelore really is a group effort, and it's with this group of people."

On top of that, Battlelore is still on Napalm Records. The band was signed to the label when it was nothing more than a fledgling gothic / doom metal record company with a handful of artists to its name; far and away from the metal powerhouse they are now.



"We discussed that," Mykkänen says of staying - or being invited to remain - with Napalm. "Our guy at the label was always asking us if we were coming back and when we were coming back. We actually didn't have a deal with them during the break but there was an option, and they wanted to change the deal and make our budget lower, which is understandable because times are different now. We shopped around and got a few offers, but we ultimately decided we should go with Napalm because we can work with them and they are just cool people in general.

the upbeat tone of The Return Of The Shadow is reminiscent of Sword's Song from 2003, the album that is widely regarded as the record that put Battlelore on the map. Asked if it was part of a grand plan or a reflection of the band's collective mood, Mykkänen claims it was a bit of both.

"When Jussi (Rautio / guitars) and Jyri (Vahvanen / guitars) started bringing in the songs for the new album they sounded like the Lost Lands EP material. I told them we needed stuff that was more upbeat because we only had these songs that were slow and doomy. I wrote the song 'Homecoming' as an example of what I was talking about, and when we did write a few more songs that went in the same direction they still fit in with the original material Jussi and Jyri had first presented."

"We arranged the songs really well, and this was actually the first time we did the arranging together; taking parts out of the songs, adding melodies... we were really well prepared for the studio. So, in the end we were really fast when we went in to record. I think Henkka (Vahvanen) started recording drums on a Friday morning, and by Wednesday he had finished tracking all his parts. Tina (Honkanen) came in and did all the synths in one day. We really knew what we wanted to do."

"I actually listened to Doombound the other day and I realized that it's really a strange album (laughs). I was amazed that when the album starts with 'Bloodstained', which I wrote, you can hear all the influences from Tool and progressive metal coming through. It's a really dark album compared to the new one. Personally, I think The Last Alliance (2008) is our best album, not including the new one, but I do understand when people say Sword's Song is Battlelore's best record because that really defined what the band is."

The interplay between female vocalist Kaisa Jouhki and Mykkänen - and his predecessor Patrik Mennander (1999 - 2004) - has always been an integral part of the Battlelore sound. Like any band with multiple singers trading off vocal parts, the songs eventually fell into a predictable rut with their last couple records. The Return Of The Shadow finds Mykkänen and Jouhki sounding vital and fresh. Mykkänen agrees the break was good for them as songwriters and performers.

"I have a home studio, so Kaisa came here and we did demos together. We built up and the melodies and the harmonies together, and as you know I'm not a singer in the classical sense (laughs) so I can't do those really 'hard' melodies. We had that in mind when we were writing, and I actually ended up doing quite a few melodies on the album because Kaisa had just had a baby and didn't have a lot of time. I wrote most of the melody lines and then Kaisa came in and improved on them, as well as doing some stuff on her own. But I think one of the reasons the melodies are maybe a bit catchier than before is because they are simpler since I wrote a lot of them. Kaisa is a better singer than me, much more talented, but sometimes nobody can follow what she does (laughs). We worked together, tried many different things, and I think that shows on the album. And we had a really good time working together; I think you hear that as well."

Regardless of Tolkien's expansive catalogue of material to draw from, Battlelore eventually grew bored of their own concept, which led to their 10 year hiatus. There was the question of "Can we keep writing about the same thing and make it effective?" which the band ultimately could not as of 2011. The Return Of The Shadow finds Battlelore back to diving deep in Tolkien's well.

"On this album all the lyrics were written by Jyri," Mykkänen reveals. "He had some writer's block on the Doombound so I wrote three or four songs, but this time the ideas came quite easily for Jyri. Having this huge break definitely helped him. When we were doing Evernight (2007) we decided to start fading out Tolkien a bit. If you know Tolkien really well you can time some of those song ideas into his work. With this album we decided that it was going to focus completely on Tolkien. Right from the first song, 'Minas Morgul', that's like a 'Fuck you, this is a Tolkien album...' (laughs)."

"It was quite easy to do that, and if we make more albums it could be that sometimes we don't write about Tolkien. There are lots of other things to write about. We actually had some different ideas when started talking about the new album maybe five years ago - and Jyri had this idea of having Numenor as a theme. When we were making Doombound he realized he wanted to make songs based around all these lost lands in Tolkien's works. So, as we were making the new album Jyri realized that all the songs had towers, walls and flames in them. So, the new album is about places and fire (laughs)."

DENIED – HUMANARCHY

A seasoned metalhead would guess by the album title and cover art that Denied’s Humanarchy is a slice of thrash metal, but the Swedes’ new album displays numerous influences, rather than a full-on thrash attack. The band’s sixth album, guitarist Andy Carlsson remains the sole original member since their inception in 2003 with second guitarist Chris Vowden in tow since 2009 and the rhythm section of Fredrik Thörnblom (bass), Markus Kask (drums) and former Artillery vocalist Søren Adamsen all entering the fold in the last 5 years.

The production is crisp with a modern punch although the bass could have used more “oomph!” The soloing is spectacularly melodic rather than showing insane speed furiously ripping through notes. Those familiar with Adamsen’s voice know he has a diverse range, kind of similar to Ralf Scheepers and his vocals spit out aggression on “Divided” and the forceful “Flesh Made God” while they soar on the Iced Earth, Nevermore type ballad “Don’t Cross That Line”.

There is a mish-mash of everything on Humanarchy with opener “Divided” sporting Exodus type stomping thrash, but then “Death By A 1000 Cuts” introduces keys with a commercial appeal that sounds like a song Dynazty would write. It’s undeniably catchy and well-written but a bit jarring going from the intense opener to it and then following up with the mid-tempo and angry title track.

Longest cut “Maintenance Of Insanity” is an atmospheric slow burn with thunderous chorus and stands out as a highlight as well as the catchiness of the Judas Priest like “Ten Ton Hammer Of Pain”. Eight songs and 41 minutes is the perfect length and while a couple more up-tempos scorchers would have been preferred, Humanarchy is a solid slice of thrashy heavy metal.

HYPOCRISY FRONTMAN PETER TÄGTGREN TALKS BECOMING A VOCALIST - "I WANTED TO TRY AND COMBINE GLEN BENTON, DAVID VINCENT AND L-G PETROV"

In the clip below, Hypocrisy / Pain frontman Peter Tägtgren chats with Finland's Chaoszine about his journey as a metal frontman.

On becoming a vocalist

Peter: "At the beginning of the '90s I wanted to try and combine Glen Benton with David Vincent and L-G Petrov. Those were the three highlight bands, so to say: Deicide, Morbid Angel and Entombed. That was the perfect mix for me."

Hypocrisy's latest album, Worship, is 11 tracks of precise, ferocious musicianship. Commonly inspired by the fusion of the modern and the ancient, Hypocrisy has once more found a way to combine innovative ideas with classic sound in order to deliver something metalheads can enjoyably consume with awe and brutal vigor. As usual, all recording and mixing took place at Tägtgren’s Abyss Studio AB in Sweden while mastering was completed by Svante Forsbäck at Chartmakers Audio Mastering. Designed by artist Blake Armstrong (Kataklysm, In Flames, Carnifex), Worship’s artwork speaks to the history of the relationship between humanity and extraterrestrials.

Worship was released on November 26, 2021 via Nuclear Blast Records.

 

IN FLAMES ESTREIA O SINGLE “THE GREAT DECEIVER”; CONFIRA

As lendas do Melodic Death Metal do In Flames lançaram outro novo single chamado “The Great Deceiver”, além de anunciar uma grande turnê européia com o apoio dos colegas pesos pesados ​​de Gotemburgo, At The Gates.


A nova música do quinteto vem logo após o recente single “State Of Slow Decay”, que recebeu muitos elogios por abraçar o som clássico do In Flames. “The Great Deceiver” também explora as raízes melódicas da banda, mas adiciona um sabor distintamente Thrash aos procedimentos.

O frontman Anders Fridén explica:


“‘The Great Deceiver’ nasceu da frustração, basicamente uma reação às bandeiras falsas, mas desde então cresceu para representar vários significados. Há uma estrofe que diz: ‘Bend the truth to fit your opinion (Dobre a verdade para se adequar à sua opinião)’ e sinto que fala muito sobre a narrativa que está acontecendo online, entre pessoas, nações etc. hoje. Estamos mais separados agora do que nunca, mas é mais fácil nos comunicar do que em qualquer outro momento da história.”

A nova faixa é acompanhada por um grande anúncio de turnê que fará com que o In Flames pegue a estrada pela Europa neste inverno, acompanhado por ninguém menos que o At The Gates. Também apoiando no projeto estão o Imminence e Orbit Culture. As datas tem início em 12 de novembro no Helitehas, em Tallinn, Estônia e finalizam em 17 de dezembro no Scandinavium, em Gotemburgo, Suécia.

ROB ZOMBIE LANÇA DUAS FAIXAS DA TRILHA SONORA DE SEU FILME, “THE MUNSTERS”

Duas faixas foram lançadas da trilha sonora de Rob Zombie para sua próxima adaptação cinematográfica da série “The Munsters”. As faixas chegam sob o disfarce de “Zombo”, um personagem de televisão infantil apresentado na série original dos anos 1960.


As duas músicas incluem: “It’s Zombo (The Zombo Theme)” e “The House Of Zombo”. Ambos foram gravados com o produtor Zeuss e estão disponíveis nas plataformas de streaming. Eles também podem ser encontrados em um novo single em vinil de 12 polegadas da Waxworx Records disponível aqui. Uma trilha sonora completa chegará em setembro em torno do lançamento do filme escrito e dirigido por Zombie em 27 de setembro. Um lançamento da Netflix para o filme também está sendo planejado para o final de 2022.

METALLICA: 10 FATOS QUE APENAS OS SUPERFÃS SABEM SOBRE “RIDE THE LIGHTNING”

 

O Metallica ainda fazia parte da cena underground do Thrash no início dos anos 80, quando seu álbum de estréia, “Kill ‘Em All”, foi lançado, mas eles realmente começaram a se estabelecer quando “Ride the Lightning” foi lançado em 1984.


Considerado como um grande avanço para a banda em termos de composição musical e maturidade lírica, “Ride the Lightning” apresentava estruturas muito mais complexas e temas socialmente conscientes do que seu antecessor. A formação foi finalmente solidificada, seguindo uma porta giratória de músicos, e eles lançaram sua primeira balada, “Fade to Black”. O Metallica, mal sabiam eles, estava a caminho do estrelato.

James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Cliff Burton e Lars Ulrich compartilharam sua segunda criação com o mundo em 27 de julho de 1984. Todos esses anos depois, o Metallica ainda está no topo do mundo. Aqui estão 10 fatos que você pode não saber sobre “Ride the Lightning”.
1. Foi lançado duas vezes

“Ride the Lightning” foi lançado inicialmente pela gravadora independente Megaforce Records nos EUA e Music for Nations na Europa. Ele vendeu 85.000 cópias em ambos os mercados, e então o Metallica assinou com a Elektra Records, que reeditou o álbum. Acabou chegando ao número 100 na Billboard 200 sem qualquer exposição no rádio, e acabou sendo certificado seis vezes platina.

2. O título está ligado a Stephen King

O nome foi inspirado em uma passagem de The Stand (A Dança da Morte no Brasil), de Stephen King, que Kirk Hammett estava lendo naquela época. “Houve uma passagem em que um cara que estava no corredor da morte disse que estava esperando para ‘montar no relâmpago’ (Ride the Lightning em inglês)”, disse o guitarrista à Rolling Stone. “Lembro-me de pensar, ‘Uau, que grande título de música.’ Eu disse a James, e acabou sendo uma música e o título do álbum.”
3. Houve uma troca nos créditos de composição

“Ride the Lightning” foi o último álbum do Metallica a apresentar créditos de composição de Dave Mustaine, que formou o Megadeth depois que ele partiu. Além disso, é o primeiro álbum do Metallica a apresentar créditos de composição do substituto de Mustaine, Hammett.
4. A composição da música ficou mais complexa, graças a Cliff Burton

“Kill ‘Em All” foi muitas vezes criticado por não ter uma composição musical complexa, então Cliff Burton, que não estava muito envolvido em escrever em sua estréia, ensinou seus companheiros de banda sobre teoria musical quando chegou a hora de trabalhar em seu acompanhamento. O baixista tinha uma formação mais formal em música por conta de estudá-la na faculdade.



“Cliff fez todo o possível e aprendeu teoria musical e tudo mais”, refletiu Hammett em entrevista ao Guitar World. “E ele gostava de harmonias. James realmente absorveu a coisa da dupla harmonia e levou isso a sério. Ele fez disso sua coisa, mas era originalmente de Cliff, quetambém inspirou muito James em conceitos de contraponto e rítmicos.”
5. Gravar na Dinamarca os deixou com saudades de casa

Graças às conexões de Lars Ulrich, a banda conseguiu gravar o álbum na Dinamarca. Depois de algumas semanas, eles começaram a sentir um pouco de saudades de casa. “Foi fácil para o cara dinamarquês se encaixar, mas não foi tão fácil para os três caras americanos se encaixarem. Estávamos experimentando um pouco de choque cultural”, admitiu Hammett à Rolling Stone.

“Nós realmente não tínhamos mais nada para fazer além de trabalhar na música e beber cerveja Carlsberg”, continuou ele. “Estar com saudades de casa nos deu a quantidade certa de, não digo ‘depressão’, mas um pouco de saudade que acho que entrou no processo de gravação.”
6. Seu produtor nunca tinha ouvido falar deles

Na Dinamarca, a banda trabalhou com o produtor Flemming Rasmussen no Sweet Silence Studios porque Ulrich era fã de seu trabalho no álbum de 1981 do Rainbow, “Difficult to Cure”. Rasmussen nem tinha ouvido falar do Metallica antes de trabalhar com eles, mas acabou produzindo “Master of Puppets” e “… And Justice For All”.

“Eu nunca tinha ouvido falar do Metallica, mas eu realmente gostava deles como pessoas”, disse o produtor mais tarde durante a entrevista à Rolling Stone. “Meu mentor gostava muito de jazz, e ele me chamou de lado um dia e disse: ‘O que está acontecendo com esses caras? Eles não sabem tocar.’ E eu fico tipo, ‘Quem se importa? Ouça a energia’.”

7. James Hetfield quase não cantou no álbum

Hetfield não queria tocar guitarra e cantar no álbum, então a banda ofereceu as funções vocais ao vocalista do Armored Saint, John Bush. Ele recusou a oportunidade porque sua banda estava indo bem na época, então Hetfield decidiu fazer as duas coisas novamente.

“Eu me arrependo de ter recusado isso? O que sempre digo às pessoas é que o Armored Saint estava se desenvolvendo e estávamos indo bem, e esses caras eram meus amigos, sabe?” Bush disse a Metal Hammer sobre sua decisão de recusar o Metallica. “O Metallica estava indo bem, mas não era como o Metallica em 1987. Foi alguns anos antes disso. Então, eu não queria deixar minha banda. Eu gostava deles e ainda gosto!”
8. For Whom the Bell Tolls, de Ernest Hemingway, inspirou a música de mesmo nome

Os fãs de Metal ouvem o nome “For Whom the Bell Tolls” e imediatamente pensam na música do Metallica, mas na verdade foi inspirada no romance de 1940 de Ernest Hemingway com o mesmo nome, que era sobre a Guerra Civil Espanhola. O conteúdo lírico da música refere-se a um capítulo específico do livro, que detalha El Sordo e quatro soldados são mortos enquanto tentavam lutar no topo de uma colina.

“Take a look to the sky just before you die / It is the last time you will / Blackened claw massive roar fills the crumbling sky / Shattered goal fills his soul with a ruthless cry”

“Dê uma olhada para o céu pouco antes de você morrer / É a última vez que você o fará / Rugido enegrecido, rugido massivo preenche o céu em ruínas / O objetivo destruído, enche a sua alma com um grito desumano”
9. “Fade to Black” foi inspirado por uma série de eventos infelizes

“Fade to Black” foi uma das primeiras baladas que o Metallica escreveu, e apresentava temas de depressão e suicídio. Quando Hetfield escreveu as letras, elas eram bem pessoais para ele na época. O equipamento da banda foi roubado antes de um show em janeiro de 1984, no qual o Anthrax emprestou alguns de seus próprios equipamentos.

“Quando ‘Fade to Black’ foi originalmente escrito, isso era real. Tipo, ‘Eu odeio a vida. Nosso equipamento acabou de ser roubado, não podemos viver nosso sonho, não vamos chegar à Europa’, todos esses coisas”, lembrou o vocalista em uma entrevista em vídeo com a So What!.



O vocalista, no entanto, também revelou os novos significados que a música assumiu para ele ao longo dos anos. “E então, obviamente, quando Cliff ou alguém importante em nossas vidas morre, essa música aparece. Ou como Chris Cornell, Dio… A morte de alguém dá uma nova vida a essa música para mim.
0. Eles não se importam com “Escape”

O Metallica não tocou “Escape” até 28 anos após o lançamento de “Ride the Lightning”. Eles a tocaram pela primeira vez no Orion Festival em 2012, quando tocaram o álbum na íntegra. Hetfield a apresentou como “a música que nunca quisemos tocar ao vivo, nunca.”




“Na época, pensamos em escrever uma música que fosse um pouco mais acessível e melódica e menos Metal e grind. Também estava na afinação Dó, o que é muito raro para nós. ‘Escape’ também foi a última coisa que escrevemos no estúdio”, admitiu Hammett ao Guitar World. “A música foi praticamente uma tentativa de escrever algo que chamaria a atenção do rádio. Mas isso nunca aconteceu para nós. Eles ignoraram essa música… junto com todo o resto!”

DREAM THEATER'S LOST NOT FORGOTTEN ARCHIVES - IMAGES AND WORDS DEMOS (1989 - 1991) AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

Originally released in 2005 on Ytsejam Records, Images And Words Demos (1989-1991) documents a special period for the band as they prepared for the release of their landmark Images And Words album. This collection includes instrumental versions of fan-favorite Dream Theater classics like "Take The Time" and "Learning To Live". Also showcasing rare early renditions of some of the band’s most well-known entries such as "Oliver’s Twist", which would later become arguably the band’s greatest hit, "Pull Me Under'". It also features the original audition takes that would see Dream Theater appoint James LaBrie as their new vocalist. Remastered and available on vinyl for the very first time, this is a fascinating look at the band’s earliest days together. The latest addition to the Lost Not Forgotten Archives is available to pre-order on 2CD Digipak, Gatefold 180g 3LP+2CD & as Digital Album. Pre-order now for a September 9th release here.

Tracklist

CD1
Instrumental Demos 1989-1991
"Metropolis"
"Take the Time"
"Learning to Live"
"Under A Glass Moon"

Vocalist Audition Demos 1990
"Don't Look Past Me"
"To Live Forever"
"To Live Forever"
"A Change of Seasons"

CD2
The ATCO Demos May 1991
"Metropolis"
"To Live Forever"
"Take the Time"

Pre-Production Demos October 1991
"Pull Me Under"
"Another Day"
"Surrounded"
"Under a Glass Moon"
"Wait for Sleep"
"Learning to Live"

Line-up / Musicians
- Kevin Moore / keyboards
- John Myung / bass guitar
- John Petrucci / guitars
- Mike Portnoy / drums
- James LaBrie / vocals (tracks 9-17)
- John Hendricks / vocals (tracks 5 & 6)
- Steve Stone / vocals (track 7)
- Chris Cintron / vocals (track 8)