The latest album from Italian folk-metallers Elvenking is an acoustic album featuring nine new, two acoustic renditions of prior releases, and one cover song. Due to the departure of guitarist/founder Jarpen from the band in 2005, the band has been without a permanent guitarist until it was announced earlier this year that Rafahel would take the spot. He performed on “Two Tragedy Poets”, though not a permanent band member at the time of its release.

With a good selection of folksy, foot-tapping songs, the new album exhibits true Elvenking style. Though the band stated that the album would allow them to experiment in new areas, it does not seem to be anything too radical, other than the ‘Heaven Is A Place On Earth’ cover/experiment that will hopefully go unrepeated.

The first two songs after the intro track are solid tracks with catchy melodies and folk-themed lyrics – earth, trees, and a reference to Wyrd. The concept of Wyrd was the basis of Elvenking’s 2004 album of the same name, and was inspired by the book The Way of Wyrd by Brian Bates (an excellent book I highly recommend). ‘Ask A Silly Question’ is a great song musically, but the lyrics seem out of character with the album and the band’s usual style; perhaps this is some of the experimentation.

‘The Wanderer’ and ‘The Winter Wake’ were both released on the 2006 album “The Winter Wake”, and are included on “Two Tragedy Poets” in acoustic form. ‘The Wanderer’ loses nothing in the process, boasting a sound nearly as full as its original. The acoustic guitars really give ‘The Winter Wake’ a clean, fresh sound, making it rival for my preference; an excellent tune either way.

There were a couple of the new songs that really stood out to me, the first was ‘The Blackest Of My Hearts’. It’s got a prominent beat throughout, with great vocals and couple of well-placed growls, and ends with only the drums playing the same beat. ‘Miss Conception’ is missing the folksy sound, but makes up for it with its upbeat tempo and interesting lyrics.

Album production is top-notch, along with artwork and photos. I don’t feel the album is quite as good as “The Scythe”, but it is certainly one that will be enjoyed by any Elvenking fan.

http://www.elvenking.net
http://www.myspace.com/elvenking