BELORE is the French Epic Black Metal solo project of Aleevok, influenced by heroic fantasy and medieval worlds. Their debut album was a journey into forgotten lands, where each title told a story - a world where landscapes, magic and medieval history exist side by side. Continuing in this tradition, the second album features six captivating and varied songs of Epic/Atmospheric Black Metal. The album transports listeners to a fictional, medieval world where they can let themselves be carried away by their imagination. The album contains six tracks.

"Tale of a Knight" leads off the album. It opens with soft keys and a swaying sound, along with some symphonic elements. Double bass drums kick in with a majestic riff, and this does indeed have a fantasy sounding element to it. The vocals are Black Metal shrieks, amidst the sovereign guitar parts. "Artefacts of Power" begins with bells and background ambiance, setting the song up for the beauty that is inherently there. The vocals are there to remind you of the darker side of life. The stalwart riffs are grandiose, and Aleevok composes with careful consideration. The middle section features some additional symphonic elements with layers that are there for the peeling.

"The Fall of Endeor" is another grand song that really showcases the author's songwriting skills. He builds the songs with one layer intertwined with another, rather than on top of one another. The result is a full, epic song with a lot of variation. You can feel the "fall" of something magnanimous in the slow moving rhythms. "Moonstone" begins with charming and alluring tones...something magical is in the air. The vocal shrieks do not take away from these elements at all. In fact, if you were to remove them altogether, you would be left with just beautiful tones. But this would also take away from the album as a cohesive whole.

"A New King for Therallas" is the long song on the album, opening with recorder notes and a solemn tone. There is a long and pretty build to the main sound. I feel like I am in a Scottish love story...somewhere where it is cold and rainy but has the warmth of home. The clean vocals push this feeling deeper inside the listener as well. "Glorious Journey" closes the album, with a fitting title. Brass horns blow, bringing the rider home after years away with glory and adoration. Banners are held high, flapping in the wind.

Overall, this was a very nice Black Metal album with enough extra instrumentation, like the symphonic elements, to keep it interesting and different from the thousands of other Black Metal bands out there pushing TRVE KVLT sounds. This album was warm, embracing, and at times, quite beautiful.