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░ ██ ██ Artist: Elffor ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Malkhedant █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2016 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2016-11-30 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Black Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Fallen-Angels Productions ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Reissue ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ ElfforÆs evolution during its career has been █
█ remarkable. E÷lÆs personal project began as a pure █
█ ambient project in the vein of other interesting █
█ bands like Vinterriket, for example. But Elffor █
█ focused more on adding an especially intense █
█ medieval touch to its compositions, being able to █
█ create an excellent soundtrack of the Dark Ages. █
█ Contrary to other ambient based bands, Elffor has █
█ constantly evolved and with the following albums █
█ E÷l started to add more metal elements, which █
█ enriched the band┤s sound and shaped its own █
█ style. With ôFrom the Throne of Hateö Elffor █
█ became a darker version of Summoning, playing a █
█ slow paced black metal with great keys and the █
█ recognizable high pitched screams of E÷l. Those █
█ vocals were clearly influenced by Burzum. With the █
█ following albums the sound became heavier, tough █
█ efforts like the masterful ôUnblessed Woodsö █
█ showed how well work the most atmospheric parts █
█ with the heavier ones. Since ôFrostbitten Painö █
█ the black metal side became more predominant with █
█ longer and faster sections. Fortunately, the █
█ magnificent atmosphere achieved by the keys was █
█ still there. Even with this faster sound Elffor █
█ continued to maintain two essential elements of █
█ the bands style, the atmospheric keys and E÷lÆs █
█ screams. █
█ Sadly the situation seems to have changed with his █
█ new opus called ôMalkhedantö. My expectations were █
█ remarkably high after the interesting ôHeriotz █
█ Sustraiakö. Moreover, those expectations were █
█ reinforced by the astonishingly good bonus tracks █
█ appeared on the reeditions of the last albums. █
█ Those tracks were long, intensely atmospheric and █
█ full of amazing keys, I couldnÆt be more satisfied █
█ with them. However ôMalkhedantö marks a rupture in █
█ ElfforÆs traditional style. The album begins with █
█ a long track called ôGaizkiaren hats ilunaö which █
█ gives you a clear impression of how the album is █
█ going to be. The first 6-7 minutes are a furious █
█ attack of straightforward black metal with almost █
█ no keys and a true fest of blast-beats. Until the █
█ second half of the song the keys donÆt appear, but █
█ thankfully when they do, they continue to be quite █
█ good. Anyway and old fan like me expects to enjoy █
█ those keys through all the song, not as an █
█ occasional addition. With the second track the █
█ structure is more or less the same, though I would █
█ say that this track is better. The main role is █
█ again for the drums and guitars until it appears █
█ another change of tempo in the second half the █
█ song. A fantastic medieval/atmospheric section is █
█ introduced, this part is so good that I █
█ undoubtedly consider it as the best and most █
█ beautiful one of this album. Another relevant █
█ characteristic of these tracks is that E÷l █
█ continues the trend of the last albums, where he █
█ has performed vocals without the high pitched tone █
█ of the classic works. In this case the use of this █
█ tone has been reduced even more. I personally miss █
█ it because I think that those vocals fitted the █
█ music very well. █
█ ôSolis in antrisô, the third track, could be the █
█ best song of the album but itÆs still far from █
█ being as good as the best compositions made by █
█ E÷l. ItÆs a Summoning-esque track with a slower █
█ pace and a greater presence of the keys through █
█ the song, which is something closer to what Elffor █
█ should do. The keys should fill the music and █
█ create an enveloping atmosphere, not only █
█ appearing sparsely. The problem with this track is █
█ that E÷l almost no sings and that he lets the main █
█ role on vocals to Hildr Valkyrie. Once again on █
█ this album, a track lacks one of the two █
█ trademarks elements of ElfforÆs music. This █
█ problem appears once again in the last track where █
█ Hildr becomes again the main voice with E÷l █
█ appearing only sporadically. In addition to this, █
█ the last composition lacks, once again, a greater █
█ presence of the keys which should lead the song. █
█ They appear on a very little amount and not █
█ playing a major role as they used to do in the █
█ past albums. This is not by any means the best █
█ ending for an Elffor album. █
█ In conclusion, the major problem of ôMalkhedantö █
█ is that this album gives you an impression of █
█ being a project where E÷l is the guest member and █
█ not the other musicians, when it should the █
█ opposite. From the very beginning of the bands █
█ career the atmospheric keys have played a main █
█ role alongside with E÷lÆs shrieks. Sadly █
█ ôMalkheldantö have little of those two, which is █
█ weird, and after some listens, finally █
█ disappointing. ItÆs a quite good black metal album █
█ because Jabo┤s riffs are consistent and █
█ AmetsgaiztoÆs drums are brutal. Nevertheless as an █
█ Elffor album, which is something more than the █
█ average black metal album, ôMalkhedantö is not █
█ something we could have expected and desired. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Gaizkiaren Hats Iluna 11:49 ░
░ 2. Gerlarien Kondairak 10:43 ░
░ 3. Solis in Antris 11:03 ░
░ 4. Eldhr 11:58 ░
░ 5. Lautada Kirastuak 9:43 ░
░ 6. Avan Dhon 13:48 ░
░ 69:04 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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