Heavy Maytal- Elvenking : "Rite of Disclosure"

This Italian band blends power metal with folk to create something that remains relevant in the bigger picture of European metal. Their stage cosplay is darker than what they actually sound like, which manages to not be too happy for me to struggle to get through the first song, but hopefully, there will be less frolicking ahead, and they will dig in a little more as they are riding the line right now, but it works for what they are going for in the opening track. They already have 12 full-lengths under their belt, so they know what they are doing. 

There is almost a Bon Jovi-like candence to the singer's voice, which does not sell me on the bigger picture and makes me take it when they growl about the devil in the second song a little less seriously, though sonically it all somehow comes together. Three songs in, it's clear that this touch of cock rock is just how they are, and the choruses are going to be hit or miss with me, as some of them are too happy for my tastes. What does fall within my tastes but hits me weird is the cover of King Diamond's "The Arrival" which lacks the darkness of the original; the lower vocals work, but the falsetto finds them hitting the notes but not capturing the eerie feel. It's better just not to try to cover King Diamond in my book. 

"Children of Decadence sounds like what I expect from modern folk metal, jsut enough grit to be metal. It races along and has some shredding in the mix; it is hard to tell if it is coming for synths or fiddles, but I do not care enough to click on YouTube, as at the end of the day, it almost sounds the same. You can hear how both King Diamond and Cradle of Filth continue to be influences, with a more theatrical twist to what goes down. The ballad "Man of Iron" confirms that he can sing, but offers little else. "Salt on the Earth' closes the album. The vocals remind me more of Venom, but the song itself is not that raw. It's ok a little different than the rest, so they are not boring, though falling in the middle of the road when it comes to heaviness, if that. I wish it were darker, but if you are a teenager who likea folk metal, then this is a must. I will give it an 8.5. 

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