Demo 1999

I don't know why I decided to obtain this demo here. Really, I have no idea. It's not like I haven't been warned.

This is/was a side-project by members of the power metal band "Battlelore" and I, being a non-listener to almost all things power metal (Blind Guardian and Nocturnal Rites being two glaring exceptions), should have known that this was going to suck.

All four songs sound alike and seamlessly blend into each other without even trying to evoke some kind of uniqueness. The ever-present keyboard lines remind one of the main rule in various "How to not make power metal work" guidebooks. They are all over the place, drowning out the less-than-stellar guitar- and bass (is there even one?) work most of the time. Sadly, the well-known side effect of this lameness does also appear here - the guitars take a total backseat to the keyboard work.

Also typical for this style of "black" metal is the lack of percussion presence in the mix. The drums are flat-out boring and therefore fittingly low in the mix. The drum lines almost never change, never impress and never need any attention.

The vocal job is entirely forgettable as well, joining the hordes of Children of Bodom clones without effort.

There isn't much left to say about this little demo here, except the fact of it being a wonderful example of market-friendly, trend-following pseudo-melodic "black" metal.

Luckily, as over-saturated as the market is already, this band never took off and doesn't seem to be taken seriously by the members anymore. You should do the same thing, as this demo is only one thing:

Completely forgettable.