#13 - Top of 2014

Battleroar - Blood of Legends (Cruz del Sur Music)

Battleroar are back with another epic album to tell us about the "Blood of Legends"! The amazing and powerful vocals of Gerrit Mutz, the new frontman of the band, fit perfectly with the heavy riffs. Gerrit was previously known from his work with Sacred Steel, a Teutonic (sic) heavy metal band, and he brings the dynamic of his powerful vocals here as well.  Another interesting trait that makes that band stand out is the addition of violins, played by Alex Papadiamantis. The song "Valkyries Above Us" is no doubt the highest point in the album, with its melodic chorus that is bound to stick to you and make you sing along (all night long)! The rest of the record doesn't lack anything in epicness with songs like the dramatic "Poisoned Well" (the song from the video below) and the impressive "The Swords Are Drawn". Excellent release and an epic record through and through!

95/100

Below is the official video for the song "Poisoned well".