To Death and Beyond...

Sometimes it is love at second sight. I remember listening to this album in a record store because that cover artwork got me horny as fuck but I was not thinking too much of the actual music itself. Silly me. A few days later I was hiking in the mountains and suddenly that fucking lead guitar melody from "Dragonhelm" popped into my head out of nowhere. After a massive "What the hell was I thinking?"-moment, I decided to get the album when I got back. I did, and it has been with me ever since. There are no mountains without "Dragonhelm" anymore. Manowar could only dream of writing such a song nowadays. I don't even know what the kings of metal are up to these days and I don't care. This Battleroar album surpassed their "efforts" for sure.

After two very weak, thin and castrated albums with a downright annoying vocal performance that lacked any sort of power, Battleroar seriously got their shit together for a crushing behemoth of an epic metal album. The overall tempo was faster, the guitars got crunchier, the drums evolved into an actual hamner and anvil situation and the vocals have been worked on like crazy because THAT is how an epic metal singer is supposed to sound. Mysteriously melodic, strangely masculine, distant, old, young, aggressive and mythological. Only Airged L'amh have done it better. It's a strange experience, because obviously it's the same dude that ruined two whole albums for me but it feels like he was replaced with an idealized twin from another planet. He yells those "aaaahs" and "oooohs" of classic storytelling like a Greek god. Hot damn. This album's success is owed to him.

There is a general "larger than life"-vibe present on this record and it gets a lot of its magic from the enthusiastic charm of fellow metal fans. Battleroar have always been fans before they became musicians and you can feel it in every pore of their music, regardless if you like them or not. But back to the improvements that impressed me so much: the riffs got so much sharper and more agile, it's an intriguing mix of classic eighties metal and an almost brutal modern interpretation of string work. Fuck me, I love it when heavy metal bands are painting with an iron brush like that. Battleroar like to draw things out a lot without dropping the atmospheric ball. There is always another climax, another solo and another battle on the horizon.

It is hard to explain why some bands struggle with establishing an authentic sword and sorcery atmosphere and Battleroar do it with such ease. This is a very theatrical cult of campfire stories and I return to it every time that life got me down. There are many hits on this thing and the replay value is high. I don't know whose idea it was to hire the "singer" (haha) from Sacred Steel after Marco quit the band but that was one the worst decisions I have ever witnessed in my life as a music fan. What a downgrade of biblical proportions. But we will forever have this album as a short moment of subculture light und artistic triumph.

Battleroar is a pretty neat band - that's my opinion, and the opinion of most folks who are into epic heavy/power metal; the band has been incredibly well-received, perhaps the most so of any of the 2000s wave of Greek Italian epic metal bands taking heavy influence from Manilla Road and/or Manowar. The fact that Mark "The Shark" Shelton (RIP) wrote and performed a song on the band's second album, Age of Chaos, certainly helped, and was likely the very thing that put the band on the map. Thus, it's not surprising there was a fair amount of hype around the successor to that album; where could a band go from playing alongside the grandfather of epic metal? The answer, apparently, is To Death and Beyond. I agree with what seems to be the general consensus that it's better and more consistent than Age of Chaos, though I think I like Age of Chaos quite a bit less than most folks seem to have. However, that's neither here nor there. The thing about this album for me is, it's a pretty good album, possibly even a very good album - but a great album, an amazing album, or the utterly absurd claim of "an album just as good as Manilla Road" are just utterly wrong and dumbfounding to me. Thus, despite my enjoyment of the album and the band's general aesthetic, I feel the need to address the specific reasons why these claims are wrong.

To be honest, it's only been in the last year or two that I've really been able to enjoy the album in full--previously it was just a couple of tracks I really liked (and yeah, that instrumental part in "Oceans of Pain" is the one part of this album truly deserving of the term "amazing," I can't deny that). However, at some point, the album begins to feel like a slog--and this is at the heart of what puts them significantly below a band with genius on the level of Manilla Road. All the songs generally sound the same. That's not to say they're so similar I can't enjoy it at all, but literally every song the band has written (that I've heard) revolves around battle/the battlefield aesthetically and musically, and much of the time lyrically. Every album Manilla Road ever released managed to have more diversity within them than Battleroar has had in their entire discography (okay, I haven't heard the newest one as of writing this, though looking at the song titles I can't imagine it's much of a change). Even Out of the Abyss, which tried to be totally thrash much of the time, still had tracks like "Return of the Old Ones," "War in Heaven," and "Helicon." Manilla Road created a multitude of wonderful atmospheres throughout their long career, while Battleroar have continued to flesh out a single one for a decade and a half. Granted, it's a very good one, and one they're very good at, and it's fine if you like that sort of thing, but to me a band with that little variation is not and never will be "amazing."

Additionally, vocalist Marco Congoreggi, while being extremely competent and even charismatic at times, simply reinforces this one-dimensionality in his performance. It's always the clean, operatic, triumphant wailing--again, very enjoyable and indicative of a very good vocalist--but his performance is far less varied (I hesitate to use the term "safe") than someone like Mark Shelton, who went from screaming to whispering to roaring to high wailing to barking to his trademark nasally croon...his versatility puts him in a totally different class than Congoreggi. I do want to reiterate that I don't think the band or the vocalist are bad to any extent--just that they very rarely approach anything on a level consistent with the deservedly legendary 'Road, a statement I very much imagine the members of the band would agree on. Their attempt to conjure a battle-like atmosphere is admirable and competent and qutie cool, and I'm in no way trying to discount that--but the pedestal upon which this band has seemed to be placed by many fans of epic metal is highly irritating to me, and thus I've felt a need to address it.

The band is, in many ways, analogous to Dragonforce, within the realm of epic heavy metal--highly popular, flashy and enjoyable (I've expressed my enjoyment of the band's first few albums in previous reviews), but ultimately formulaic, and never interested in straying outside of it. This, to me, is what separates the greats, the geniuses, the masterpieces, from the respectable but never transcendent second tier. Throughout this album, the band writes cool riffs, but tends to repeat them over and over throughout the songs, making me begin to get tired of it at some point during the nearly hour-long release. That's part of what makes something like the acoustic instrumental section of "Oceans of Pain" so refreshing (though it's also brilliant in its own right, and if anything by this band could be legitimately labeled "transcendent," it's that), and the band did well in placing it near the middle of the album to break it up a bit. However, no album with 9 tracks that all sound this similar will ever make it to the "top tier" for me, for the simple reason of the band's unwillingness or inability to let out the immersing complexity of true creativity, heard in many of Manilla Road's albums, and then subsequently heard in roughly 0 bands I've heard trying to play in the same vein. None of these bands are truly "Manilla Road worship" in the broadest sense of the term--truly worshipping Manilla Road in all of its forms, and unfortunately, few if any even worship an entire album from the band, though if I had to label one that these Greeks and Italians seem to ape, it would be Open the Gates. Ultimately, though, most of these bands tend to stick to 2 or 3 songs at most (songs like "Metalstrom," "The Ninth Wave," and "Hour of the Dragon" come to mind), and proceed to pay homage to absolutely no other aspect of the band. This is why the Battleroars and the Ironswords of the world will never reach the status of "modern Manilla Road" or anything close to it, and why most of them are mired in mediocrity, with "very good" being the absolute best thing they can aspire to, so long as they continue such a formula.

For those not terribly interested in the general opinions of epic metal fans or the state of modern epic heavy metal, I'll simply say what I've been saying all along: this is a pretty good album, at times very good, nothing mindblowing. However, if you're new to the band, I would suggest starting here, as the previous album is much less consistent in quality, and the following album, while mildly enjoyable, loses any of the brief glimmers of transcendence found here. That is my assessment of the band, the state of the epic metal scene and its fans, and take them for what you will.

A vast battle scene, innumerable armoured corpses piled thick and high as far as the eye can see, weapons jutting from the bloody bodies. Crows and vultures circle and feast on the flesh of the fallen, their harsh croaks shattering the eerie still. In the baleful sky, beneath clouds heavy and glowering with forbode, ghostly figures still fight, forever locked in an eternal combat. Here there is no triumph, no victory, only war without cessation... "To Death and Beyond..."

Battleroar's last album was fantastic, but this one is better. The first thing you'll notice is the absolutely extraordinary production, thicker than heavier than mere metaphors to 'meteors', or 'elephants', or 'concrete sledgehammers', or 'fat Americans' can ever possibly hope to conjure up. You don't listen to this type of power; it falls on you like a mountain, with both crystal clarity and a vast scope. Storming through comes the music itself; trad heavy metal played with the heaviness and epic-osity dialled up into the redzone. The riffs are lumbering and pulverising, striking like the blows of barbarian hammers and axes; not super fast or technical, just a faultless exhibition of pummelling heavy metal thunder. The masterful drumming batters you every which way from Sunday; crashing, creative, fill-laden, mid-paced animal power delivered straight into your face. Vocals are clear and soaring, flying over the carnage like an eagle on the thermals, and whilst Marco Concoreggi doesn't quite sound as quite good as he did on the previous album, "Age of Chaos", he's still completely awesome. He is blessed with power, gravitas, and great stamina; and whilst he doesn't sound like a barbarian, he does conjure up the feeling of a mystical bard imparting tales that span the breadth of time and space. Leads and solos are not technical wankery, but are full of feeling, passion, and profound, sweeping power. Acoustic interludes are simply extraordinary; introspective and rich guitar sounds combining with mournful violins rising in the distance, echoing between vast cliff faces and issuing from the cracks of the world. Epic doesn't even come close to conveying the majesty of this sound.

The songs themselves are mostly impeccable, except for "Born in the 70's", which is OK but rudely detracts from the rest of the album's feel of power and profundity. If they'd removed this track, "To Death and Beyond..." would have been a contender for a 100% score. Battleroar are at their very best when they're writing massive epics, and the three stellar highlights on here are the lead-shod three-act devastation of "Oceans of Pain", the expansive, atmospheric, deeply blood-stirring "Death Before Disgrace", and - most of all in my opinion - the absolutely extraordinary "Finis Mundi", which is completely and transcendently godlike. Such heights of power, passion, and atmosphere are rarely, if ever, scaled by any band. Every other track on here ranges from quite superb to exceptional. In the latter category are the opening epic "The Wrathforge", which - as well as having a name that is pure awesome - is one of the most devastatingly powerful introductions to an album you could ever hope to have; and the simply flat-out asskicking "Hyrkanian Blades", chock full of killer riffs, powerful vocal lines and whipping rhythms. In the former category lie the remainder.

This, my friends, is REAL metal. Atmospheric, powerful, heavy, majestic, beautiful; forging its own path of destruction rather than slavishly lapping at the heels of the masters who came before. This is the sound of a band creating a metal legend. Where can they possibly go from here? I await with baited breath.

There are just some bands who you can hear the passion and conviction pouring off from every facet, even from the simple action hitting a chord and holding it just right. If you can’t be creative, at least try and throw enough passion forward. It’s probably the reason why punk, death metal, hardcore, black metal, and in Battleroar’s case, power and traditional metal, are all genres that are often still able to soldier on in the underground. You simply can’t muster up enough of this passion or conviction in the majority of pop music, or bands playing to “make it big”.

Battleroar take a good chunk of their influence from the medieval fantasy world spawned by Lord of the Rings, and merge it with some pre-thrash heavy metal, which you can detect from those guitars that attack you with the galloping pedal tones and crunching downstrokes. There’s plenty of slow moments where you could envision a tall elven couple falling in love as well. My only real complaint is that the backing vocals harmonies in the background don’t seem on-key. Fortunately the vocalist usually goes it alone, so it’s a case where one voice is strong enough to carry all the singing duties.

Originally posted at www.watooloud.com

Have you ever heard an album so moving and epic, that visions of a motivated army charging into battle with swords held high entered your mind? Personally, I’ve had a few responsible for enlightening cries, yet Battleroar’s “To Death And Beyond” made me run into my neighbor’s yard and take their land as my own; they still can’t past my swinging axe without receiving a severed limb! Indeed, these Greek do wonders when applying their unique brand of high-flying power metal that feels forceful and dynamic in so many ways, unlike shit-pies like Ride The Sky bent on worshiping Helloween or whatever. Truth be told, tribute bands lead a path of dismay while real factions like Battleroar rocket through the clouds and continue mastering power metal; that is the synopsis of “To Death And Beyond.”

As previously stated, Battleroar’s third full-length is simply an immortal demonstration of how things should be done when attempting majestic flights of musical cliffs, respectively. Musically, there is an infinite arsenal of riffs walking with multiple hues, like speed-laden excellence on “Dragonhelm” or those interesting grooves on “Metal From Hellas,” and I really don’t need to mention fantastic soloing that comes attached. Also, when engaging such guitar bliss, non-boring drumming and spicy bass licks also drop in for a drink, keeping the whole record refreshingly plump during long anthems that usually exploit several patterns at a time. So in retrospect, we have an instrumental sensation ranging across nine hymns that never quits or allows recycled garbage a residence. Take your redundancy and leave this fucking hall!

However, “To Death And Beyond” looks endlessly epic throughout our traveling experience, and I don’t mean “epic” like meandering songs or other shenanigans; these guys really make Thor come into your headphones. For one, Marco Concoreggi can summon emotional tinges like a wizard casting spells, mainly because his voice proudly accommodates whatever notion fires upon him, which cannot be said about several singers. Alas, Battleroar excels magnificently at providing fantastic introductions, transitions, and conclusions on the instrumental spectrum; just for extra crispiness, if you will. Time upon time again, each anthem rightfully engages in proper use of repetition and atmospheric instrumentation until Battleroar explodes into their select tune, whether it be something groovy or simply soft for acquired tastes. Hell, “Finis Mundi” has become one of my favorite tunes ever from this functioning equation, mainly due to its non-stop awesomeness of folk-influenced beauty and heavy-as-Mjolnir performances. In conclusion, Battleroar is a government that gives its citizens free use of all services, without them having to pay taxes in return for those nice favors. Why can’t other groups be so generous?

Power metal is a genre meant to be mighty on several sections, and trimming a single branch can potentially kill the entire tree, but Battleroar made sure they didn’t pull any stunts on individuals expecting intensity rolled upon epic greatness. Case in point, “To Death And Beyond” is an ace, and pulling off such genius musicianship alongside bombastic originality looks rather grueling at first listen, yet nothing can go wrong when things begin settling in; it grows on you slowly without giving up or throwing in the towel. Kudos to Battleroar for giving power/heavy metal fans just what they want: epic music done right.

This review was written for: www.Thrashpit.com

And Battleroar is its name. I have to make clear that I would not be merciful because four members of this band are my country mates (The singer Marco Concorejji is from Italy.)


So we have their third full length album and I believe that we have a simple masterpiece. After two previous great albums of epic power metal, Battleroar are coming into proscenium with a new, better album. The sound is at high levels for a Hellenic band, the songs are very well written and generally the band is in very good shape. The only negative is the awful artwork once again.


However, I think that this kind of metal is written to be acceptable from a limited part of metallic audience. So if you know and you are involved with the idiom of metal sound that called ‘epic metal’ you know very well what we have here. As for those who they don’t know about Battleroar or epic metal generally I would say these: The base of the songs of this album is definitely traditional heavy metal as it was been played from sacred monsters, like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Manowar . The influences from Iron Maiden are obviously, without this fact decreases the final result. As a mater of fact the opposite it happens, the nine songs of ‘To Death And Beyond…’ are full of energy, full of power, full of metal melodies and although they have a retro or a cliché structure, they are been played from a band with character and personal style. Songs as ‘Finis Mundi’ ‘Oceans of Pain’ and ‘Death before Disgrace’, be sure that is very difficult to been written in our days. The hymnical choruses, the war riffs, the metal melodies which can be stacked in your mind for days, and the energy that arises from this job, I am sure that consist these elements witch will make you, to have a good time with a heavy metal album of this style, and I believe that nowadays this don’t happen very often from bands of this kind.


Another subject that I would like to refer is the subject of the lyrics. War and battles and issues from heroic fantasy are the main axis. But these guys don’t fall into ingenuous pit of writing with lyrics of style: ‘My sword is broken but I will kill you with my farts, because Odin is on my ass!’ Or ‘I kill, I slay and metal I play!’
They appear a more sophisticated and let me say a more poetic style of writing .The fact is that you will love them or you will hate them. Personally I love them with no doubt.


I believe that the fourth album of a group is the boundary stone for its course, but if with the third album they rise our expectations up high it is usually a bit difficult to overcome their shelves and give us something better or at least at the same level of quality. With this record Battleroar put the boundaries for great things. I am looking forward to see their next steps. I will like to believe that we have to do with a band that could not disappoint us in the future .They have the skills and the will. Time will tell us…..