ALBUM REVIEW: Of the Lineage of Kings – Keys of Orthanc
The Lord of the Rings and Tolkien’s wider works have become a topic that fits perfectly within heavy metal, from the days of LED ZEPPELIN and RUSH to BLIND GUARDIAN and a slew of bands in the black metal scene. The mystical darkness of Mordor, the epic battles of Gondor and Rohan, the quintessential heroism of Aragorn and Frodo’s respective quests all lend themselves to heavy metal lyricism in a spectacular way. But perhaps no band has thrown themselves into the thematics of Middle Earth quite as whole-heartedly as Quebec’s KEYS OF ORTHANC. The duo have kept a steady, album-a-year pace since forming in 2018, exploring the length and breadth of Tolkien’s works within their epic black metal soundscape, even venturing wholly into dungeon synth with last year’s Unfinished Conquests. This year sees KEYS OF ORTHANC hit back with their fourth full-length, Of the Lineage of Kings – and they are sounding grander than ever.
Things get off to a decent start with the title track – hoof-beats and synths create a soundscape right off the bat, though this introductory offering does meander a touch, outstaying its welcome. Once we dive into the first song proper, though, any fears that the dungeon synth sounds of Unfinished Conquests marked a complete change in style for KEYS OF ORTHANC prove to be unsubstantiated. Just as the introductory Of the Lineage of Kings reaches its crescendo, Shards of Narcil explodes to life with a harrowing scream. Tempos shift, vocals move from high pitched shrieks to bellowed or whispered cleans and chaos turns to tranquillity and back again seamlessly. The atmospheric dungeon synth of the introduction absolutely has its place, especially in an album as immersive as this, but really its the dark, epic black metal shown on Shards of Narcil that shows KEYS OF ORTHANC at their best.
Things just get better with Her Mighty Heart, the lead single an unquestionable highlight of the record. Explosive and dynamic, Her Mighty Heart proves to be a masterclass in epic black metal; the riffs and drums are aggressive, the synths work towards enhancing the sound rather than dominating it, and the vocal performance is as narrative as it is brutal. A nice, meaty bass tone cuts through at just the right level as well – bonus points there. It’s the midway passage that really steals attention though, the lyrics taken straight from the iconic scene where Éowyn strikes down the Witch King of Angmar on the Pelennor Fields, different vocal styles almost acting out the dialogue and prose – it’s a lovely touch, indeed.
Interludial To The Paths of the Dead offers up a chance to catch your breath, and at just under two minutes its far better paced at aiding the immersion than the opening title track; before long, the doomy introduction to The Last Alliance rings out, complete with glacial vocals. The most grandiose affair so far on Of the Lineage of Kings, epic doom meets wonderfully with atmospheric black metal in a melting pot of narrative driven power, before a more traditional black metal sound makes it presence felt. King of the Reunited Kingdom kicks off with some slick riffing and a rousing rendition of Aragorn’s speech at the Black Gates of Mordor before exploding into atmospheric black metal of the grandest order, a real sense of urgency running through the penultimate track. Unfortunately, things end on a bit of a flat note with I’ve Seen the Dragons Fly. A far softer offering than anything else across Of the Lineage of Kings, the intention appears to be a calmer end to the record but at nearly five minutes long it doesn’t really go anywhere, rather travels round in the same circles.
Of the Lineage of Kings is KEYS OF ORTHANC‘s most complete offering to date. As furious and eviscerating as it is grandiose, over the course of the seven tracks on offer here the duo effortlessly guide the listener through Middle Earth, spellbinding in their narrative and crushing in their musical execution. However, there is still work to be done before KEYS OF ORTHANC can claim their place at the top of the international black metal scene – a few missteps across Of the Lineage of Kings detract from the final product, and a tightening of the song-writing would serve the band well. That said, there’s no taking away from the fact that KEYS OF ORTHANC are on the right track, and there is plenty to enjoy across their latest release.
Rating: 7/10
Of the Lineage of Kings is out now via Naturmacht Productions.
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