"The winter wake" CD by Elvenking

by Björn Thorsten Jaschinski (20.01.2006) The crossover of black metal and all kinds of cultural traditions towards folk has never really established in the true heavy and power metal of the 90s. Forerunners, such as Skyclad long remained lonely fighters. The new songs of Elvenking appear more catchy and matured, the performance is more professional. Elyghen's violin is present in “Trow's kind“ and in the title track. The latter is a dragging track with a weird vocal performance that brings in some epic metal flair, convinces by its pompous, multi-choir chorus and is the complete opposite of the happy-mood “The wanderer“. You shouldn't be mistaking mixing the music of these Italians with the odd Medieval stuff around that long deserves its end in hell; Nor should you compare them with the Rhapsody approach. There is definitely more metal in here as you can hear in edgy riffs like in the fast “March of fools“. Check it out!