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 have had a few such albums 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 cannot pass my swinging axe without receiving a severed limb! Indeed, these Greeks do wonders when soaring with their unique brand of high-flying power metal. It definitely feels forceful and dynamic in so many ways, unlike sh*t-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. 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 do not need to mention the fantastic soloing that comes attached. Also, when entering 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 f*cking hall!
However, To Death and Beyond sounds endlessly epic throughout our traveling experience, and I do not mean "epic" like meandering songs or other shenanigans; these guys really summon Thor from your headphones. For one, Marco Concoreggi can summon emotional auras like a wizard casting spells, mainly because his voice proudly accommodates whatever notion fires upon him. The same cannot be said about several other 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 do not pull any stunts on individuals expecting intensity rolled upon epic greatness. Case in point, To Death and Beyond is an ace. 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.