KEYS OF ORTHANC is a Black Metal band out of Chambly, Canada. On some albums they come across as SWBM, on others as Atmospheric Black Metal. The common theme is Black Metal. As their moniker may suggest, the other common theme is Tolkien - Orthanc being the name of Saruman's black tower in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Of all the musical styles to revere his legendarium, I'm not sure Tolkien would have expected Black Metal . . . but his expectations really don't matter here. The mere fact that his work has touched so many art forms is testament to his genius. To wit, on February 5, 2021 KEYS OF ORTHANC released their fourth full-length album inspired by Tolkien, "Of the Lineage of Kings."

KEYS OF ORTHANC formed in 2018 as the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Dorgul. On this album he is joined again by vocalist Harslingoth. The album is mostly SWBM but does have long interludes and one full track of Atmospheric. The final track can probably be best characterized as Epic Black Metal. Similarly, the vocals oscillate from harsh and guttural to spoken word and baritone melodic chants (which I always imagine as being sung by dwarves. Thank you Peter Jackson).

The first six tracks follow a linear storyline. Specific touchpoints include the shards of Narcil (reforged to the sword Anduril); Eowyn, the shieldmaiden of Rohan; Aragorn, the king of both Arnor and Gondor; and a few stops in between. The penultimate track can be seen as a retrospective to "The Hobbit" or even "The Silmarillion." Again, I see it being sung by a throng of dwarves in a mead hall. The final track, "Book of the Fallen," is an incredible cover from CALADAN BROOD's only album to date.

Altogether the album is eight tracks long, including the 15-minute cover, and clocks out at six minutes under an hour. Given its narrative nature, the tracks are easy to get lost in - especially if you're a fan of high fantasy and have a modicum of an imagination. The lyrics are extensive and unless you have the "decipher languages" ability which allows you to easily decode guttural shrieking, a read through is recommended . . . and not only to understand the storyline, but because they are well-crafted.

As with Vampire, Dungeon, and Pirate metals, I'm generally skeptical of Tolkien-inspired metal. . . and usually pleasantly surprised. Okay, not Pirate metal. I am usually always not pleased with Pirate metal. Technically Tolkien-inspired metal is not a sub-genre so much as a theme, but it still makes me anticipate soft fanboy panegyrics. Glad to say, that's not KEYS OF ORTHANC at all. "Of the Lineage of Kings" is a well-produced, multi-layered album that is musically nuanced, lyrically smart, and emotionally visceral. It does indeed take us there and back again.