The Brazilian Folk/Power/Prog Metal band LOTHLÖRYEN has opted for a crowdfunding campaign to gather money for the release of their fourth album...What the hell is LOTHLÖRYEN? Well, in JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings book's saga, Lothlórien is the name of the realm of the Elves.

LOTHLÖRYEN is a band hailing from Brazil, formed around 2002 with ex Members of SEVENTH STEEL... I had firstly discovered LOTHLÖRYEN because of its new lead singer, the amazing Daniel Felipe who was also performing with RYGEL (their wonderful album "Imminent" is warmly recommended...You could found my review for this underrated album here:

www.metal-temple.com/site/catalogues/entry/reviews/cd_3/r_2/rygel-imminent.htm)

his harsh deepness in the low spectrum is jaw dropping, very much like the almighty Russell Allen (SYMPHONY X / ADRENALINE MOB) mixed with a more grumpy temperament not unlike the GRAVE DIGGER leader Chris Boltendahl but with more variations!

As I truly loved his rich voice and loyal to my compulsive collector behavior and curiosity, I have purchased their second release "Raving Souls Society" and right after, the more refined sound of their re-recorded compilation "Some Ways Back Some More" achieved the fact to convince me about the interesting possibility of having a potential fierce contender for ORDEN OGAN or ELVENKING in Brazil !

What I like about LOTHLÖRYEN, is that beside the obvious vocal talent of Tenor Daniel Felipe, they takes the musical side with a real seriousness and some obvious integrity, not a really Symphonic or Proggy attitude but still subtle and clever in the numerous arrangements, they deliver those traditional Metal ingredients with a true intensity ("The Law & The Insider") across the twelve tracks the whole spectrum is exposed with pride and constancy, the epic instrumental parts are well written ("Night Is Calling") ,the structures are more complex, the orchestrations are more sophisticated but still developed in a discreet mode!

Of course, there is plenty of warrior choirs with only a few Folkish shades ("God Is Many"), some sporadic gimmicks such as Fiddles or alto Violins are in combination with the uplifting acoustic guitars arrangments ("Time Will Tell" / "And Dowland Plays") and most of all, a great mastery in the riffing method ("Who Made The Maker?" or the hypnotic"The Convict")

Indeed, LOTHLÖRYEN have figured out how to push their stylistic boundaries, and how to mix perfectly the new found Prog concepts and the orchestrations, how to blend the high profile thematics and cerebral ideas (like the samples from Stephen Hawking like in "The Quest is On") with the mandatory headbanging necessities, the LOTHLÖRYEN music has developed a new personality, an anthemic sound filled with all sorts of fancy elements and exciting new frills that helps to make their latest masterwork "Principles Of A Past Tomorrow" a very recommended Metal gem and simultaneously using the Power Metal focus and efficiency to keep things catchy and fun.