#29 - Top of 2012

Lothloryen - Raving Soul Society (Shinigami Records) 

Lothloryen (who are named after Lothlórien, the elven forest realm in JRR Tolkien's Middle Earth) is a very interesting melodic power metal band from Brazil, which despite their strong Blind Guardian vibes, bring their own folk elements in the equation. "Raving Soul Society is the third studio album by Lothloryen and it explores the concept of psychological problems and insanity! The clear powerful vocals by Daniel Felipe (which sound like an amazing version of Hansi Kursch's distinct voice) fit perfectly with the strong guitar riffs by Tim Alan Wagner and Leko Soares, as well as excellent keyboards by Leo Godde. The album is full of heavier songs like "Face Your Insanity" and "When Madness Calls", song with interesting and catchy tunes like "Hypnerotomachia" and "Burning Jacques ", and an amazing closing folk ballad "My Old Tavern" (which is bound to make feel nostalgic about Blind Guardian's “The Bard’s Song (In The Forest)”! Although, the influences of the band are obvious, Lothloryen manage to transcend them and create a very interesting power metal album!



92/100

Below is the official music video that was released for the song "Face Your Insanity".