Band:	Battlelore
Album:	Doombound
Style:	Folk metal, Power metal
Release date:	January 28, 2011
A review by:	Jason W.

Disc I [CD]
01. Bloodstained
02. Iron Of Death
03. Bow And Helm
04. Enchanted
05. Kärmessurma
06. Olden Gods
07. Fate Of The Betrayed
08. Men As Wolves
09. Last Of The Lords
10. Doombound
11. Kielo [Instrumental]

Disc II [Limited Edition DVD]
01. Live At Club Nosturi 2009
    1 - Green Dragon
    2 - Swordmaster
    3 - House Of Heroes
    4 - Moontower
    5 - The Great Gathering
02. Live At Club Nosturi 2008
    1 - Storm Of The Blades
    2 - Valier - Queens Of The Valar
    3 - We Are The Legions
    4 - Sons Of Riddermark
    5 - Ghan Of The Woods
    6 - Raging Goblin
03. Music Videos
    1 - Third Immortal
    2 - House Of Heroes
    3 - Storm Of The Blades
    4 - Journey To Undying Lands
04. Tour Videos
    1 - Evernight Over Europe 2007
    2 - Last Alliance In Finland 2008
+ Photo Gallery

With the spirit of a fearless warrior's legacy and the solemn reflection of a man finally succumbing to his cursed fate, Battlelore memorialize and honor the life of the Tolkien character Túrin Turambar. Through a mixture of symphonic metal intertwined with folk, melodic death and power metal touches, Doombound forges a somber landscape of sword-raising journeys, bittersweet moments of victory, and an inescapable cloud of personal darkness that follows and finally overtakes the hero in eternal night and in his fearless demise.

Gone are my concerns that my interest in the band's music would continue to wane as it had done with their previous release, which too often felt like a tired leader, and instead I find myself galvanized by the emotional and musical balance that persists throughout the new album. Assertive drumming, gripping and pained growls, and coarse riffs appear just as the numerous layers of celebratory synths, stalwart spoken words and picturesque clean vocals take over. And, finally, like the hero's futile attempts to outwit and outrun his predestined end, the drumming inevitably slows to heavy footsteps, the riffs fade to softer chords, and the vocals become vulnerable outpourings of inner struggles. Doombound is at once the reflection of a blood-soaked blade as the vicious dragon is slain as it is the curtain call for a burdened man who can only find solace in death.

While Battlelore's music has always been vocally oriented, the prevailing pulse of this album derives from its seamless layers of Maria Honkanen's multi-purposed symphonics and drummer Henri Vahvanen's renewed sense of familiar, yet calculated tempo shifts. "Iron Of Death" begins with a determined charge of Henri's drums while Maria's keys swirl above them like evergreens caught in a chaotic updraft, personifying the unavoidable path the hero takes as he tries to cast his grief to the skies. The thunderous switch to a pounding, heavy-footed tempo and murky cloud of synths only serve to underline the vocalists' claims that death will forever be our protagonist's companion. In "Last Of The Lords," Maria's ominous atmospheres again open the song, creating a air of decaying reminiscence that prevails throughout it, leading to a shadowlike guitar solo finish, courtesy of guest Dan Swanö, that echoes through the halls of the dead.

The guitars of Jyri Vahvanen and Jussi Rautio act like constant stream of energy more than a driving force most of the time, and shift from a determined rush of melodic death riffs and tremolo picking in songs like "Bow And Helm" to the calm melodic picking and chords of "Enchanted." Even in "Kärmessurma," where the riff is one of Battlelore's most memorable yet, its prevailing role is a mountainous backdrop to the ever-present vocals of Tomi Mykkänen and Kaisa Jouhki, who provide intimate, yet timeless anecdotes to Túrin Turambar's tragedy.

Tomi's approach is one of diversity, from the gruff cries of "Fate Of The Betrayed" and the exasperated groans of "Doombound," to the fist-raising growls throughout "Olden Gods." There is a believability that I missed on the band's last few releases that he evokes on Doombound, one that makes me find grains of bloodstained dirt in my eyes long after the album has finished. Kaisa's style continues her familiar approach, here mirroring the consistent teardrops that fall from the hero's eyes even as he readies for battle. Like a vision of a peaceful cemetery that lurks in the corner of your eye, Kaisa's vocals provide an opaque goblet of despair to drink from in "Men As Wolves," and are able to pause even the heartiest of men in "Kärmessurma." From her balladesque start to "Enchanted," her singing is that placid clearing one finds after escaping a harrowing experience, where the lake's waters barely move and visions of loved ones overcome you as you rest a precious few hours.

With additions like dreary cello melodies and Maria's flute interludes that drift into the distance as our hero's curse comes to a climax, Doombound finds the somber and singular road that it seems Battlelore has searched for on their recent albums but had yet to discover. While more an evolution than reinvention of their sound on this release, they are content in their own style enough to stake their blade in the ground, but also strong enough to retell a man's burdensome legacy with a revitalized atmosphere that will be part of the lore for an age yet to come.