{"id":43147,"date":"2014-07-29T06:43:31","date_gmt":"2014-07-29T11:43:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=43147"},"modified":"2014-07-29T06:44:18","modified_gmt":"2014-07-29T11:44:18","slug":"elvenking-the-pagan-manifesto-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2014\/elvenking-the-pagan-manifesto-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Elvenking | The Pagan Manifesto<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Justin Gaines<\/span>
\n– Senior Columnist\/News Editor —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"ElvenkingIt\u2019s always good to see a band that has lost their way return to making great albums. After a pair of disappointing releases (2008\u2019s Two Tragedy Poets<\/em> and 2010\u2019s Red Silent Tides<\/em>), Italian power\/folk metal band Elvenking turned things around with 2012\u2019s impressive Era<\/em>. Now they\u2019re back with a new album, their eighth overall, titled The Pagan Manifesto<\/em>. As with Era<\/em>, The Pagan Manifesto<\/em> features a handful of guest performers, most notably Amanda Somerville (Kiske-Somerville) and Folkstone’s Maurizio Cardullo, who provides the whistles and bagpipes that play such a big part of the folk sound on the album.<\/p>\n

Elvenking plays it fairly safe here, more or less picking up where Era<\/em> left off. Fans wanted a return to the classic Heathenreel sound of super-catchy power metal with even catchier folk melodies. They got that on Era and they get it again on The Pagan Manifesto<\/em>. If it\u2019s safe, at least it\u2019s also totally enjoyable. You\u2019re going to whistle these melodies and sing along, and these songs are going to stay with you long after the disc stops spinning. Even without the folk elements this would be a very solid power metal album, but when you add in Lethian\u2019s violin, the backing choirs, Cardullo\u2019s instrumentation and the occasional growls, it becomes something even more memorable.<\/p>\n

\u201cElvenlegions\u201d is the first song and video from The Pagan Manifesto<\/em>, and it\u2019s one of the album\u2019s better tracks. The quick and utterly infectious \u201cPagan Revolution\u201d is another highlight. The epics \u201cKing of the Elves\u201d (which features Somerville\u2019s vocals alongside Damna) and \u201cWitches Gather\u201d are also great examples of the band\u2019s unique brand of storytelling.<\/p>\n

Say what you will about Elvenking\u2019s formula, but it\u2019s a formula that works. The Pagan Manifesto is another terrific folk-infused power metal album from one of the pioneering bands in the genre, and is bound to satisfy their \u201cElvenlegions\u201d of fans. It\u2019s also a completely accessible album for newcomers (if you\u2019re unfamiliar with the band, think Gloryhammer meets Mago de Oz) looking to see what Elvenking is all about.<\/p>\n

Genre: Folk Metal, Power Metal<\/p>\n

Lineup:
\nDamna (v)
\nAydan (g)
\nRafahel (g)
\nJakob (b)
\nSymohn (d)
\nLethien (violin)<\/p>\n

Track Listing:
\n1.\tThe Manifesto
\n2.\tKing of the Elves
\n3.\tElvenlegions
\n4.\tThe Druid Ritual of Oak
\n5.\tMoonbeam Stone Circle
\n6.\tThe Solitaire
\n7.\tTowards the Shores
\n8.\tPagan Revolution
\n9.\tGrandier\u2019s Funeral Pyre
\n10.\tTwilight of Magic
\n11.\tBlack Roses for the Wicked One
\n12.\tWitches Gather<\/p>\n

Label: AFM Records<\/p>\n

Website: www.elvenking.net<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven Rating: 8.75\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Justin Gaines – Senior Columnist\/News Editor — It\u2019s always good to see a band that has lost their way return to making great albums. After a pair of disappointing releases (2008\u2019s Two Tragedy Poets […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":43148,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10848],"tags":[8645,2317,9643,2942,1097,9644],"class_list":{"0":"post-43147","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2014","8":"tag-afm-records","9":"tag-cd-review","10":"tag-elvenking","11":"tag-folk-metal","12":"tag-power-metal","13":"tag-the-pagan-manifesto"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43147"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43147\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}