For me, it was 2003's 'Sword's Song' that did hit me hard! I bought every Battlelore album afterwards, as well as the debut. However, I kind of lost the band for quite some time; the albums never ever struck me that hard afterwards, even though I never thought they were bad... And I really cannot find any reason for that, to tell the truth. 'Evernight', for one, is fantastic album from start to finish, so at last I got back into the band like back in 2003!

The most basic formula for Battlelore is that they are "a metal band with gruff male vocals and angelic female voice". But it's never that simple with this bunch of Middle-Earthian creatures (Well, Finns.. but Finnish language was hot for J.R.R. Tolkien anyway)! I understood that there was no other band similar to Battlelore, when I re-discovered them some years after they had called it quits in 2011. Plus, they never went into "pop metal" territories like so many, many female-fronted metal bands did. Battlelore held to their true spirit, and that is more than respectable for a band releasing six albums within a decade, if anything.

The vibes vary during the album, just like it every time does on a Battlelore album. After semi-acoustic first seconds, the album gets into a state of melancholic Finnish metal with its melodies and ethereal and characteristic female vocals, but also gains weight and more force on its way via male growls and unstoppable rhythmic drive. Here Battlelore went for "melancholic alternating with attacking" compositions, and while that routine is in frequent use here, everything else finely obscure that fact. The album was meant to be a concept one, but only five songs carry the continuing story: It is about the destruction of the kingdom of Númenor. So it is dark. Actually, 'Evernight' is one of the darkest works from the band to date. Other topics are flashes from Middle-Earth, but interestingly, also "Kalevala" (the Finnish poetic opus). Well, it ain't happy either, so...

Battlelore have heavy metal style crunchy and heavy-handed riffs and chord playing. The rhythm guitar tone is too muffled for its own good, kind of losing some of its life-force; it is easily the biggest defect on this album (probably done this way to give more space for keyboards and angelic vocals). Two guitars weave interesting harmonies, and leads which are fantastic here: A perfect example is the ending of 'Ocean's Elysium' which is one of the true earworms if any (one will get to hear it only for 15 seconds, even though the melody is played earlier in a different form). The semi-acoustic guitars sometimes sound like a Finnish zither (kantele; hail to "Kalevala"). The bass guitar follows guitars closely, giving even more sturdiness to guitar department, but also having more own kind of space during quieter parts. Anyway, the bass is loud, bulldozing. The keyboards play a big role, too, creating melodies, epic-carpet-sounds, some symphocics and fitting atmospheres throughout the album.

Generally, 'Evernight' is a gothic metal album with dark atmospheres; think about Tristania's 2013 album 'Darkest White' and you are somewhat near. There are some moments of doom and more extreme metal also, giving more paths and making the album flow well, avoiding it from petrifying into a boring slab of uniformity. The band beautifully move from semi-acoustic parts to epic or attacking ones. The song lengths were kept mostly under the 5-minute mark, which was a wise move also.

I was already fearing the worst... It took bloody long, but gladly Battlelore have now returned with a new album after a long pause. When you've once heard this band, you immediately know a Battlelore song after that if you hear one; that's how characteristic they have always been, plus they have a variety of stylings to operate with. If you are looking for dark gothic metal with force, then 'Evernight' is a fine place to experience.

Rating: 8 (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
11/01/2022 12:43