LOTHLORIEN
"The
Primal Event" (Black Mark Productions)
Reviewed by Christopher J. Kelter
Sweden is a hotbed for aggressive yet melodic music. One Swedish band that hasn't gotten a lot of press (but that truly deserves it) is Lothlorien. Lothlorien can easily be compared to "The Jester Race"-era In Flames with added elements of neo-classical influences and extensive keyboard work.
Session keyboardist Nils-Petter Svensson is all over "The Primal Event" with the keys mixed high in the sonic brutality. The keyboard sound is not subtle (unlike, for instance, Soilwork), but rather plays an integral part of Lothlorien's style. The slight neo-classical tone of the keyboards easily distinguishes Lothlorien from other bands in the melodic death metal genre. The keyboards also make the mid-paced sections infinitely more interesting.
The vocals are a bit more raspy than the average melodic death metal band's sheer aggressiveness, but has its own uniquely identifiable sound. You will still need the lyric sheet to help you along, but once you've got the hang of his style the words become very easy to follow.
The eight tracks on "The Primal Event" cover nearly 48 minutes giving the average song length of nearly six minutes. I've been on record in the pages of Rough Edge as saying that most melodic death metal songs work best when they do not exceed four minutes in length, but Lothlorien manage to exceed this personal limit with character and style. One of my favorite tracks is "Forever And Ever Alone" - its stellar arrangement and emotionally powerful lyrics makes it a sonic treat.
"The Primal Event" is highly recommended for fans of the melodic death metal genre. Fans of good metal that also don't mind dipping into the well of the obscure would be pleasantly surprised by Lothlorien's "The Primal
Event."
"The Primal Event" was produced by Christian Silver and Lothlorien.
Lothlorien is Henrik Serholt on vocals, Tobias Birgersson on lead and rhythm guitars, Linus Wikstrom on lead and rhythm guitars, Tobias Johansson on bass, and Daniel Hannendahl on drums and percussion. Nils-Petter Svensson played session keyboards.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the
cover makes you wanna hurl.
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Revised: 05 Sep 2021 13:34:11 -0400.
