Stormkeep - Tales Of Othertime

From dungeon crawl to alpine odyssey, from cave quest to fortress siege, from forest foray to blizzard-beaten battlefield, Stormkeep's debut serves as the perfect soundtrack to any adventure that can be measured with a dice roll or described while wearing a wizard hat. Though a colossal melodic black metal base defines Tales Of Othertime, the diversity of flavors is enough to put to shame any other of the millions of Tolkien-infused, medieval-themed black metal albums flooding the market. The synth passages are tastefully placed and artfully constructed, and for once, we've got an album that spends as much time with the dragons as with the dungeons: power metal from Blind Guardian to Bal-Sagoth echoes through the majestic choruses, and the riffing is catchy enough to allay your Dissection withdrawal for a time. Like a tale out of time from an ancient, forgotten tome, Tales Of Othertime is filled with magic - and it's been a long time since black metal last felt so powerful.