Quebec, Canada's Keys Of Orthanc have returned with a new recording which continues the Tolkien themed style of black metal form their previous releases and this is a review of their 2021 album "Of The Lineage Of Kings" which will be released in February by Naturmacht Productions.
Epic sounding synths and nature sounds start off the album while also capturing the atmosphere of a fantasy film along with the music also bringing in elements of dungeon synth which also mixes in with the heavier sections of the songs at times as well as all of the drum beats also being programmed.
The riffs also bring in a great amount of melody while the solos and leads are also done in a very melodic style. Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams while all of the musical instruments on the recording also have a very powerful sound to them along with a great portion of the tracks also being very long and epic in length.
Melodic vocals can also be heard in some parts of the music along with some blast beats also being added into the faster sections of the songs. Clean playing and spoken words can also be heard in certain parts of the recording as well as the tremolo picking also giving the tracks more of a raw feeling when they are utilized.
Death metal growls are also added on some of the tracks as well as the songs also adding in a decent mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts. At times the music also gets very atmospheric and epic sounding along with the interlude also adding in a ritualistic atmosphere before returning back to a heavier direction and the album closes with a cover of Caladan Brood's Book Of The Fallen". The production sounds very professional while the lyrics cover the writings of J.R.R Tolkien.
In my opinion this is another great sounding album from Keys of Orthanc and if you are a fan of Tolkien inspired black metal, you should check pout this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Shards Of Narcil" and "King Of The Reunited Kingdom". 8/5 out of 10.
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