Of Dragons and Elves
Evertale
•
February 23, 2015
I have something of a weakness and a penchant for all things dragon, mystical, and magical. It's not a tremendous stretch of the imagination to assume I'm a Lord of the Rings fan. Needless to say, when I saw the title of EVERTALE's debut album, I was onboard immediately. I also happen to be a huge fan of speed guitar with matching double bass drums and killer clean vocals–oh hell, I love almost everything about Power Metal and "Of Dragons and Elves" is easy bait for me. How could I resist?
This fourteen-plus-one track, epic debut bodes extremely well for the future of this band. Whatever synergy bands have as a collective to put together something this massive, these guys definitely have it. Their music gels on each and every level and as a collective, they all seem to be on the same page with what their music should sound like. In fact, there are slight touches of BLIND GUARDIAN, ORDEN OGAN, RHAPSODY OF FIRE, DRAGONFORCE, HAMMERFALL, and if you've ever heard THE BLACK ROOK's vocalist, you'll notice a striking similarity harkening back to the likes of a certain Ronnie James Dio. After all, wasn't this type of subject material he used as well? Like it or not, it's fucking Metal as hell!
So not only were the guys of EVERTALE totally synchronized with mind and instrument, but also the clarity of the sound means that the band were synchronized with the studio (Iguana-Studios) as well. The production and recording was actually done at least in part by Matthias Graf himself, of the band. With the whole thing being somewhat self-produced, it's safe to say that only the best would do for "Of Dragons and Elves".
I can't well explain how awesome this album is though! Each song has its own theme and together, they all tie in to the general concept of the album. Lyrically, there are epic quests, swords, fighting, things being conquered, dramatic declarations of glory, and most importantly, dragons and elves. Musically, I think the things that stood out the most to me were the guitar chord progressions and solos. These guys are masters of their respective trades. They also made writing a book of fairy tales in their music seem entirely too easy. I think I could carry a conversation about mythical creatures and stories of the Knights of the Roundtable with at least one person in the band. It all seems so inspired by such tales.
Whatever the case may be, this is an album that is not to be missed by Metal fans who love colossal sounding songs put together on an absolutely titanic album. If this band isn't headlining their own shows on the European and North American tour circuits within the next five years, I'll be wondering why the hell not. They have all the makings of a so-called "heatseeker" band and once they gain a foothold in the popular Metal media outlets, their name will be among the greats in Power and Progressive Metal which I mentioned earlier.
That being said, prepare to ride into a magical state of musical enchantment and wizardry as you find yourself side-by-side with the likes "Of Dragons and Elves"!
10 / 10
Masterpiece

"Of Dragons and Elves" Track-listing:
1. Paladine's Embrace (Intro)
2. In the Sign of the Valiant Warrior
3. Tale of the Everman
4. Into the Dragon's Lair
5. Of Dragons and Elves
6. Elventwilight
7. As Tarsis Falls
8. My Honor is my Life
9. The Crownguard's Quest
10. The Last Knight
11. Sturm's Funeral March
12. Firestorm
13. Brothers in War (Forever Damned)
14. The Final Page
15. Dragonriders (Bonustrack)
Evertale Lineup:
Matthias Graf - Vocals, Guitars
Matthias Holzafpel - Lead Guitars
Marco Bächle - Bass
Moritz Goldbach - Drums
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