Elvenking - Red Silent Tides

For much of Elvenking’s existence, they had their roots in the folk metal scene.  However, as evidenced on the 2007 album The Scythe, they have gone more towards the power metal side of the ledger.  The result has largely been met with negative reactions from longtime fans of the band, something that the band tried to curtail to some degree with the mostly acoustic album Two Tragedy Poets (…and a Caravan of Weird Figures) in 2008.  Now, with a new album in Red Silent Tides, Elvenking hopes to gain back some of the momentum lost from recent years.

Red Silent Tides begins almost the same way The Scythe ended, which is to say rather weak.  Sure, “Dawnmelting” comes out with some spirit, but one thing becomes quite clear: the violin on the album comes off as nothing more than window dressing for some uninspired power metal.  This becomes a recurring theme when going through Red Silent Tides, as the things that made Elvenking worth listening to in the early days is all but vanished.  The first single off the album “The Cabal” does the band no favors, as it simply lacks the soul that had been present on the previous efforts.  In fact, getting through the album is a large task in itself, as the near-50 minute album sounds almost like an eternity.  The music is actually competent, as “The Last Hour” is decent, but given that Elvenking has been around for almost a decade, the results on Red Silent Tides don’t even come close to the expectations.

When Elvenking started out, they were playing music that was unique not only to the Italian music scene, but the music scene in general.  Times have changed however, and so has Elvenking, though not for the better.  Red Silent Tides is the band as the shell of their former selves, falling into the middle of the pack.  Whether the band will ever approach their pre-Scythe level is debatable, but most people will gladly settle for Winter Wake-era Elvenking.

Release Date: September 17, 2010
Label: AFM Records

TRACK LISTING

1.   Dawnmelting
2.   The Last Hour
3.   Silence de Mort
4.   The Cabal
5.   Runereader
6.   Possession
7.   Your Heroes are Dead
8.   Those Days
9.   This Nightmare Will Never End
10.   What’s Left of Me
11.   The Play of the Leaves

Total playing time:  49:59

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*Comments:

Reviewer: Peter

February 14, 2011