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Track Listings
| Disc: 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Third Immortal | |||
| 2. Exile The Daystar | |||
| 3. The Great Gathering | |||
| 4. Guardians | |||
| 5. Voice Of The Fallen | |||
| 6. Daughter Of The Sun | |||
| 7. Green Dragon | |||
| 8. Awakening | |||
| 9. Epic Dreams | |||
| 10. Moontower | |||
See all 11 tracks on this disc
| |||
| Disc: 2 | |||
| 1. Bonus DVD | |||
Product Description
Product Description
Limited Edition 8-panel digipack incl. bonus DVD (Live at Metal Female Voices Festival 2007)
With their fifth album the Finns of Battlelore return once again to Tolkien's legendary world Middle Earth. "The Last Alliance" is a true gem, in which the band delivers innovative songs, while remaining true to their roots. They effortlessly combine impressive heavy metal guitars, dreamy keyboard melodies, and an uncanny attention to detail to create an array of catchy songs. In the midst of it all are Tomi Mykkänen and Kaisa Jouhki, who with the exchanges of Uruk-hai screams and tender female vocal passages dictate the direction of the fellowship. The full, yet clean sound is the work of Swedish legend Dan Swanö and the optic appeal is provided for by Ingo Römling of Monozelle. Noteworthy is the deluxe limited edition 8-panel digipack that includes a live bonus DVD of Battlelore's performance at the 2007 Metal Female Voices Festival. Driving whips, ramming rhythms, the roar of the orcs, and elvish vocals make "The Last Alliance" the jewel of Epic Fantasy Metal, and certainly one Tolkien fans should not ignore.
Product Description
2CD W/Dvd
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
All the way from Lappeenranta, Finland come Battlelore with their fifth album, "The Last Alliance". If I tell you that the ply their trade in epic, fantasy, symphonic / power metal, you won't be surprised to learn that their latest album is based on storylines from J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth. So far, so stereotypical. If I were to add in that they also do the whole clean female vocals / male growls thing, you may well be looking over your shoulder for something more interesting to distract you. But don't go just yet.
For sure, there is absolutely nothing original in what Battlelore are doing, but does it really matter when it's so damned enjoyable? Sometimes you just need to go with the flow, position your foot on an imaginary monitor, and let it rip. And that's exactly what you get here.
I actually recall early Battlelore being a bit rubbish, so never kept up with them, but turns out that their last album "Evernight" was a big step forward for them in songs, performance and production. Because this album certainly rocks. The twin vocals of Kaisa Jouhki and Tommi Mykkanen work well, playing off each other well, and the added symphonic keyboard touches are very well done. Add in a BIG production sound, and you end up with some truly epic tunes like 'Exile The Daystar', 'The Great Gathering' and 'Voice Of The Fallen' to soundtrack your next role playing evening.
Overall, this is an excellent album, chock full of the best elements of symphonic / power metal. Miss out at your peril.
For sure, there is absolutely nothing original in what Battlelore are doing, but does it really matter when it's so damned enjoyable? Sometimes you just need to go with the flow, position your foot on an imaginary monitor, and let it rip. And that's exactly what you get here.
I actually recall early Battlelore being a bit rubbish, so never kept up with them, but turns out that their last album "Evernight" was a big step forward for them in songs, performance and production. Because this album certainly rocks. The twin vocals of Kaisa Jouhki and Tommi Mykkanen work well, playing off each other well, and the added symphonic keyboard touches are very well done. Add in a BIG production sound, and you end up with some truly epic tunes like 'Exile The Daystar', 'The Great Gathering' and 'Voice Of The Fallen' to soundtrack your next role playing evening.
Overall, this is an excellent album, chock full of the best elements of symphonic / power metal. Miss out at your peril.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.7 out of 5 stars
7 reviews
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Grandest Epic Yet
26 Dec 2008
By Taliesin Govannon
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Audio CD
In an era that has seen Viking-Metal, Folk-Metal, Symphonic-Metal, and more, Battlelore stands alone in a genere of music that's best described as â''Tolkien-Metalâ''...their music is epic, with tales of battle, magic, mystery, and an orc or two.
On their latest, â''The Last Allianceâ'', Battlelore's song-writing has progressed impressively. Their sound is more melodic overall, and the hooks are catchy without compromising the band's ability to rock-out. One of the things I liked about this album is that the extreme vocals of Tomi Mykkänen are being used far more judiciously than most bands that use the female/clean-male/extreme vocal formula, and to better use than Battlelore themselves have used them in the past. Not every sound out of his throat is a grunt, so when he does roar, it has a greater effect. Exile The Daystar, in particular, shows how to use male vocals well without being too extreme. The clean male backing vocals give the album a greater epic feeling than the band has been able to achieve in the past, and further serve to separate Battlelore from the pack of fantasy/epic/symphonic metal bands.
This album also shows a better use of their female vocalist, Kaisa Jouhki. Her voval style is refreshing in that it is non-operatic, making her both more vulnerable and far more distinct at the same time...in Tolkien terms, she is both Arwen and Galadriel at once.
Some album highlights: Third Immortal is a strong opening, setting the tone for the rest of the album. The Great Gathering is where the warriors appear in the story, and the appearance of the highest density of male extreme vocals brings this point home....well done!
Another highlight is Daughter of the Sun...this song should be a single...it is tender, melodic, and the perfect mid-album breath of fresh air.
By the time you get to The Star of High Hope, you feel as though you've just gotten to the last chapter of a really good book, or the the final scene of a great movie. The Last Alliance is a masterpiece of aural storytelling, using the music, arrangements, and instrumentation to tell a story in a way that lyrics alone cannot. It's one of the year's best, and an album every metal fan must check out!
The Heathen Hippy gives it five rings of power!
(To see the original review of this and other cd's, as well as multimedia content related to this release, check out [...] for more!)
On their latest, â''The Last Allianceâ'', Battlelore's song-writing has progressed impressively. Their sound is more melodic overall, and the hooks are catchy without compromising the band's ability to rock-out. One of the things I liked about this album is that the extreme vocals of Tomi Mykkänen are being used far more judiciously than most bands that use the female/clean-male/extreme vocal formula, and to better use than Battlelore themselves have used them in the past. Not every sound out of his throat is a grunt, so when he does roar, it has a greater effect. Exile The Daystar, in particular, shows how to use male vocals well without being too extreme. The clean male backing vocals give the album a greater epic feeling than the band has been able to achieve in the past, and further serve to separate Battlelore from the pack of fantasy/epic/symphonic metal bands.
This album also shows a better use of their female vocalist, Kaisa Jouhki. Her voval style is refreshing in that it is non-operatic, making her both more vulnerable and far more distinct at the same time...in Tolkien terms, she is both Arwen and Galadriel at once.
Some album highlights: Third Immortal is a strong opening, setting the tone for the rest of the album. The Great Gathering is where the warriors appear in the story, and the appearance of the highest density of male extreme vocals brings this point home....well done!
Another highlight is Daughter of the Sun...this song should be a single...it is tender, melodic, and the perfect mid-album breath of fresh air.
By the time you get to The Star of High Hope, you feel as though you've just gotten to the last chapter of a really good book, or the the final scene of a great movie. The Last Alliance is a masterpiece of aural storytelling, using the music, arrangements, and instrumentation to tell a story in a way that lyrics alone cannot. It's one of the year's best, and an album every metal fan must check out!
The Heathen Hippy gives it five rings of power!
(To see the original review of this and other cd's, as well as multimedia content related to this release, check out [...] for more!)
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Battlelore does it again!
29 Nov 2008
By A. Osborn
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Audio CD
Continuing with a sound as dark as it was on Evernight, Battlelore forges another fantastic album. Centered around the last alliance of elves and men (the battle where sauron was destroyed and the ring lost) the songs are more tightly composed while keeping the same Battlelore sound.
My personal favorite is the Green Dragon, another feasting/drinking/partying song almost as good as Buccaneer's Inn.
The only reason I gave it a 4/5 is because the band really doesn't try anything new. Kaisa is a great singer but she really needs to show off her range more, she has sounded the same on every album and needs to put more emotion into her voice. But if you are a fan of any Battlelore, this is a must own!
The DVD is very high quality as well and features all their best songs.
My personal favorite is the Green Dragon, another feasting/drinking/partying song almost as good as Buccaneer's Inn.
The only reason I gave it a 4/5 is because the band really doesn't try anything new. Kaisa is a great singer but she really needs to show off her range more, she has sounded the same on every album and needs to put more emotion into her voice. But if you are a fan of any Battlelore, this is a must own!
The DVD is very high quality as well and features all their best songs.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Epic Fantasy Metal From Finland! proclaims the cover.
21 Jan 2010
By K. Lee
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
A very good album, Battlelore is the first symphonic metal band I listened to and the first beauty-and-the-beast band I have heard. I was drawn to the band by the Lord of the Rings theme, expecting an epic band with epic lyrics and fantastic instrumentation. I was not disappointed.
My only qualm with this album is that the female vocals, occasionally, seem out of place, but other than that this is a perfect CD. By a long string of coincidences this album led me to Viking Metal, but that's not important.
Anyways, this album is a fine example of symphonic power metal at its finest. Featuring superb harsh growling male vocals and above-average female vocals, Battlelore delivers solid music that I can listen to for hours on end. My favorite tracks are The Third Immortal, Exile The Daystar, and The Great Gathering, all three of which I rank among my favorite 100 Songs of All Time.
My only qualm with this album is that the female vocals, occasionally, seem out of place, but other than that this is a perfect CD. By a long string of coincidences this album led me to Viking Metal, but that's not important.
Anyways, this album is a fine example of symphonic power metal at its finest. Featuring superb harsh growling male vocals and above-average female vocals, Battlelore delivers solid music that I can listen to for hours on end. My favorite tracks are The Third Immortal, Exile The Daystar, and The Great Gathering, all three of which I rank among my favorite 100 Songs of All Time.
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4.7 out of 5 stars
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