I'm trying to fit in my head the progress of this band. From the fooling around period and the first Demo tape to surfing the European festivals and releasing stunning pieces of work is a long road! At my previous website (www.thetempleofmetal.gr) I had mentioned back in 2003 that Battleroar was one of the best epic Metal albums I had ever heard. Now in 2005 I once again dare say that The Age Of Chaos makes this band's previous attempt sound like a child's toy!
Battleroar were formed back in 2000. Being fans of many cult U.S. epic Metal acts, they started jamming upon their heroes' songs. Manilla Road, Omen, Brocas Helm are a few of them and as you can imagine we are not talking about the most mainstream acts in the world! One thing led to another and soon a Demo tape (not known to many), a Demo CD (recorded live) were unleashed to the world claiming high popularity amongst the ranks of underground warriors. Shortly after, a 7'' single was released in 2002 only to be followed by their first full length release in 2003, simply titled Battleroar. Since then the band played numerous live shows (in Greece and abroad) constantly raising their loyal fan base.
In 2005 the band signed with Black Lotus Records and several months later their second album is finally in my hands (well, I had the pleasure of listening to it several times and in several stages of production in the past). The Age Of Chaos has just begun...
After listening to the album for the first time, I could not believe how ahead this band has gone! We are talking about light years of progress in just two years time. From the somehow stereotyped (but always cool) Battleroar it is a shock to be listening to the multileveled, enchanting, furious or ethereal when necessary Age Of Chaos. It seems that their interaction with their heroes all those years has graft beyond return the seed of epic lyricism. Isn't it obvious when an epic Metal album opens with a tune like The Wanderer? A song that many super-bands of the genre would be jealous of. And it only gets better from there on.
All these are packed in a great production done at Conquest Studios in Italy (co-produced by Alex Festa) and a nice (but not the best possible) front cover designed by German artist Timo Wuerz. Time will tell if this album will climb the mountains where all the ever-lasting classic releases lay to rest. I have a strong feeling that if this one was released like 10 years ago (where things were quite different regarding the industry's situations) it would have probably been a reference point for all forthcoming releases. What more can I say?