Bergfried - Romantik III - review
Bergfried - Romantik III - review
Tracklist
01. Dark Wings02. Fallen From Grace
03. Queen Of The Dead
04. For The Cursed
05. Gates Of Fate
06. Serenades
07. Tears Of A Thousand Years
08. Star-Crossed Love
09. Back For More
A review by
AndyMetalFreak November 04, 2025
Bergfried are a hard rock duo formed in 2022 by vocalist Anna de Savoy and multi-instrumentalist Erech III. von Lothringen. They have a thoroughly unique style that combines classic AOR and 80s heavy metal with medieval folk and pop influences, inspired by a wide variety of bands ranging from Rainbow and Scorpions, to ABBA and Heart. Now, after two EPs, they turn their attention towards their full-length debut Romantik III.
Romantik III is a highly enjoyable and light-hearted, yet prominently heavy, album featuring epic fantasy themes with a richly diverse songwriting approach. This album forms part of the Romantik saga, directly continuing from where the previous two EPs left off. However, with the extended runtime that comes with a full album, the songwriting feels a lot more complete, with richer and more diverse structures. The music here tends to strip back the medieval folk influences from the previous EP, and is instead driven largely by synth work, with joyously light and ultra-catchy keyboard melodies almost sounding as if they're inspired by the 80s pop scene, while the guitars consist of traditional hard rock and heavy metal riffs brimming with yet more catchy melodies, along with some great bluesy hard rock soloing. The solos are a standout element for me, even compared with the riffs and their memorable hooks. The production also plays an important role in allowing each element to shine with enough clarity while delivering a weighty sound, a remarkable feat when considering how many elements are actually involved.Â
There can be a fine line in hard rock and heavy metal between epic heroic sounds and over-the-top silliness. Although I by no means find this a bad release, I unfortunately find it falls into the latter too often. Now, how much of that comes down to personal taste versus execution is debatable; the quality of the songwriting here is highly respectable and achieves exactly what it sets out to do. It will satisfy many in its targeted audience, and while I'm not entirely convinced I'm part of that audience, I still find some of the riff melodies and rhythms highly enjoyable and headbangable, and even slightly addictive. As someone with an aversion to the dance floor, for this album to even slightly motivate me to groove away is quite the achievement.
That being said, there's still occasions where I just find the approach overwhelming to the point of distraction. The synths tend to venture too far towards 80s disco territory for my liking, but it's actually the vocals that I struggle most with. The vocals are performed very well by de Savoy, but I find the melodies and delivery start to grate on me after a while, particularly during the choruses; the evident influences of artists such as ABBA are just a touch too close for my personal comfort. There's no doubt that Romantik III is a solidly made and entertaining album, and I admire it for what it is, similarly to a film like Masters Of The Universe; despite the extravagant cheesiness, there's still an element of charm that's too irresistible to not like.
I suspect many others out there will show a higher level of appreciation for Romantik III than myself; if an epic synth-laden album brimming with joyous keyboard melodies, ultra-catchy riffs, high-end solos, and memorable poppy sing-along choruses sounds like your thing, then you're going to be in for a hell of a sugary treat with Romantik III.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 7 |
| Songwriting: | 7 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 8 |
Written on 04.11.2025 by
Written on 04.11.2025 by
An honest review that you don't necessarily have to agree with. Comments
Comments:
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I generally agree with most things you say in your review, although I personally love the pop choruses and the cheesy melodies on this to the point that I have been listening to it every day. I would have liked a more bombastic sound, because I find the mix to be a bit "bare" for this type of music, but I guess they wanted it to be vintage all the way or the budget was limited. In any case, this is a year-end list album for me.
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Posts: 9626
I also liked it more than you did, but I can't deny that I was more into what they did on the two EPs.
---- Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking One day there will be no heart at all?
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Posts: 8668 Written by nikarg on 04.11.2025 at 18:30 Listening to it now, and I'm kinda in two minds over this; part of me feels like the impact of the more melodic hooks is limited by the rougher edge to the mix, but then I wonder if going too clean makes them sound too much like a standard AOR band rather than the amalgamation of sounds there are here. I think there's a lot of talent in the band, but I do get a bit of whiplash between sections within songs that mean I'm not clicking with it as much as I'd perhaps like. Edit: Also, the poppier 70s callbacks maybe remind me a bit of Fleetwood Mac over ABBA? I do enjoy those moments like the end of For The Cursed
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Posts: 5643  |
Posts: 5643 Written by nikarg on 04.11.2025 at 18:30 Seeing so much praise here, I guess i should give this album a chance. 
---- I thought the two primary purposes for the internet were cat memes and overreactions.
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