Battleroar (review by MMB)

Battleroar

Codex Epicus

release date: June 8th, 2018

label: Cruz del Sur Music

For many people the word epic in cinematography probably conjures up movies like the series The Lord of the Rings, while in literature, epic is often linked to works such The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Poem of the Cid, The Song of Roland, Paradise Lost, so on and so forth. In any case, the general concept often involves tales of the deeds of heroic figures and their struggles to overcome the treacherous acts of their antagonists. Heroes, kings, queens, wars, glory and ignominy are components of the epics.

Battleroar assumes that type of framework as they labor to create works that can stand the test of time in order for the listener to see the music as more than a temporary fashion of a particular year. Few things are as embarrassing for musicians who consider themselves artists than to have their work later be judged as a silly flavor of the week that no one remembers fondly and seriously, in the same way that people look back at photographs of years gone by, only to laugh at how silly and outdated the fashions look now.

What exactly do these musicians have to offer? The guitar playing is witness to composer Kostas Tzortzis’ decades of dedication to the instrument, and the riffs that speak volumes about the respect for heavy metal tradition. Uptempo and galloping rhythms are part of the identity, but there are moments of slower, more melodic segments, too. The singer is Gerrit Mutz from the German band Sacred Steel with which he has been doing his singing since at least 1997. In addition, on this album Mark Shelton, the leader of the long-running U.S. metal band Manilla Road (founded in 1977), is a guest on a song.

The previous album Blood of Legends is from 2014. It seems like they knew that they needed something awesome in order to follow up a very good like that one. That’s a good sign. They felt the necessity to turn in a strong comeback, and they have.

battleroar-epic.bandcamp.com