Battlelore are a Finnish heavy metal band from

Lappeenranta Lappeenranta (; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of South Karelia. It is located in the southeastern interior of the country and in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Lappeenranta is approximately , while the Lappeenranta sub-r ...

, founded in 1999 by guitarist Jyri Vahvanen and bassist Miika Kokkola. The name derives from the union of the words 'battle' and '

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

'. Many of Battlelore's lyrics concern

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlinson ...

Middle-earth Middle-earth is the Setting (narrative), setting of much of the English writer J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy. The term is equivalent to the ''Midgard, Miðgarðr'' of Norse mythology and ''Middangeard'' in Old English works, including ''Beowulf'' ...

sagas and their stage costumes and live shows are largely inspired by the themes and characters of

fantasy literature Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe, often but not always without any locations, events, or people from the real world. Magic, the supernatural and magical creatures are common in many of these imaginary worlds. Fan ...

. The band had many changes of personnel during their twelve years of activity and had a long hiatus after the completion of the tour supporting their latest release '' Doombound'' in 2011. In January 2016 they announced that they would be performing at Metal Female Voices Fest XIII in October 2016.

History

The first demo and Napalm Records (1999–2004)

Battlelore's first demo ''Warrior's Tale'' was released in late 1999, the same year of the founding of the group, but Battlelore attracted the attention of the Austrian record label

Napalm Records Napalm Records is an Austrian independent record label focused on heavy metal, hard rock and folk/folk rock/folk metal. Originally, Napalm focused on black metal bands, such as Abigor and Summoning, and folk metal bands, such as Falkenbach a ...

only after the publication of the second demo ''Dark Fantasy'' in late 2000, which featured for the first time long standing members Kaisa Jouhki as female singer, Henri Vahvanen on drums and Maria Honkanen on keyboards. Under request from the label, the band recorded an untitled 3-tracks demo before finally signing the contract. In the fall of 2001, the band was at Music Bros. Studios to record their debut album with producer Miitri Aaltonen. Jyri Vahvanen at Nosturi 2008

Around this time, guitarist Tommi Havo left the band for personal reasons and was replaced by the current lead guitarist Jussi Rautio. The debut album, '' ...Where the Shadows Lie'', which includes re-recorded songs coming from early demos, was published in 2002 with good success. A video for the song "Journey to Undying Lands" was shot to promote the album. However, Battlelore are best known for their second album '' Sword's Song'', registered like the first one at Music Bros. Studios with Miitri Aaltonen as producer and released in the spring of 2003, defined by many as their best. The album was successful and led the group to their first European tour. In 2004, the band released their first

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

, ''The Journey'', containing the recording of a concert held at the prestigious Finnish Tavastia Club in

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

, a documentary and video clips.

Change of formation and ''Third Age of the Sun'' (2004–2005)

In 2004 singer

Patrik Mennander Patrik Mennander (born 8 January 1976) is a Finland, Finnish singer who has been in the bands Ruoska, Battlelore and Natsipaska. Short biography Mennander was born in Finland in 1976. He was in the Finnish army (the year he entered is unknown ...

left the band, because of lack of time to devote to Battlelore, and his place was taken at first temporarily and then officially by the former frontman of the band Evemaster, Tomi Mykkänen. Mennander's last concert was at a show as headliner band at the RingCon (the official festival of ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an Epic (genre), epic high fantasy novel written by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book ''The Hobbit'' but eventually d ...

'' in

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

). Bassist and founding member Miika Kokkola also left the band for personal reasons and was replaced by Timo Honkanen, a former tour roadie. With this new line-up, the band released in 2005 their third studio album, '' Third Age of the Sun'', recorded at Sound Suite Studios, in the spring of 2005 and produced by Terje Refsnes, for the promotion of which the video for "Storm of the Blades" was filmed. Music critics judged ''Third Age of the Sun'' inferior compared to previous records, partly due to the defection of Mennander and Kokkola. However, the album presents a more varied and ambitious songwriting, mixing folk tunes and a symphonic vein, rendered through the more prominent use of keyboards and the temporary waiver of clean male vocals, which, however, reappeared in the next album. The album entered in the Finnish charts at number 38.

Touring in Europe, more albums, and hiatus (2006–2011)

After attending the

Wacken Open Air Wacken Open Air (, abbreviated as W:O:A) is a Heavy metal music, heavy metal music festival, held annually since 1990 on the first weekend of August in the village of Wacken, Schleswig-Holstein, Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Almost all ...

festival of 2006, in the fall Battlelore started recording their fourth album, again with Miitri Aaltonen at Music Bros Studios, which was published in early 2007 with the title '' Evernight'', anticipated by the video for the song "House of Heroes". Many defined ''Evernight'' the darkest album of the Finnish group, but also their best since ''Sword's Song''. In the early days of September, a European tour planned for November with

Draconian Draconian is an adjective meaning "of excessive severity", that derives from Draco, an Athenian law scribe under whom small offenses had heavy punishments ( Draconian laws). Draconian may also refer to: * Draconian (band) Draconian is a Sw ...

and Darzamat was announced, but the tour was later canceled. In January 2007, guitarist Vahvanen temporarily left the band to travel through Asia for six months, and was replaced by Tommy Lintunen, which appears in the video for "House of Heroes". On his return in June, Vahvanen took back his place as guitarist. In September, it was announced that the Finnish band would open the November dates of

After Forever After Forever was a Dutch symphonic metal band with strong progressive metal influences. The band relied on the use of both soprano vocals and death growls. In February 2009, it was announced that After Forever had disbanded. Singer Floor Jan ...

and

Tampere Tampere is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Pirkanmaa. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Tampere is approximately , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately . It is the most populous mu ...

, but the dates were deleted by the promoter and in November Battlelore were also excluded from the European tour with

Korpiklaani Korpiklaani (Finnish language, Finnish for ) is a Finnish folk metal band from Lahti that was formerly known as Shamaani Duo and Shaman. History Shamaani Duo While other folk metal bands began with metal before adding folk music, Korpiklaani st ...

, scheduled for December. On 20 October 2007 the band was at the Metal Female Voices Fest and the performance was recorded to be part of a live DVD. In the period from April to May 2008, their fifth album '' The Last Alliance'' was recorded at Sound Supreme Studios in

Hämeenlinna Hämeenlinna (; ; ; or ''Croneburgum'') is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Kanta-Häme. It is located in the southern interior of the country and on the shores of Vanajavesi, Lake Vanajavesi. The population of Hämeenlinna is appr ...

with

Dan Swanö Dan-Erland Swanö (born 10 March 1973), also known as Dan "The Man" Swanö, is a Swedish musician and record producer who is currently the vocalist, guitarist, ex-bassist and ex-drummer for the band Nightingale, lately vocalist, keyboardist and ...

as producer. The album was published in September, preceded by the video for the song "Third Immortal". After a week from release, the album reached position twenty-sixth in the best-selling albums chart in

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. Battlelore were part of 'The Finnish Fire Tour' along

Falchion A falchion (; Old French: ''fauchon''; Latin: ''falx'', "sickle") is a one-handed, backsword, single-edged sword of European origin. Falchions are found in different forms from around the 13th century up to and including the 16th century. In so ...

and Kivimetsän Druidi, but singer Mykkänen had to be replaced by Harri Hyytiäinen, a member of Avathar for personal problems. The album was also released in a special edition with a DVD, including the recording of the Metal Female Voices Fest 2007 concert During the summer, the place of drummer was taken temporarily by Enrico Annus, because of Henri Vahvanen's other personal commitments. In July 2009, it was announced that the group had renewed the contract with

, ended with ''The Last Alliance'', providing label support for the band's next album and its promotional tour. In late September 2009, the band embarked on a brief tour of six dates in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

together with

Finntroll Finntroll is a Finnish folk metal band from Helsinki. They combine elements of black metal and death metal with a type of Finnish folk music called humppa. Finntroll's lyrics are mostly in Swedish, the only exception being the song "Madon Laulu" ...

and in December it was announced that the sixth album was in preparation and Battlelore would have entered the studio around June–July 2010 for the recordings. The publication was intended for October 2010 and then moved to early 2011. '' Doombound'' was recorded again at Sound Supreme Studios with Janne Saksa, with

at mixing duties. Stylistically, the album marked a return to the sound of the first records and it was Battlelore's first

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

, focusing on the figure of

Túrin Turambar Túrin Turambar (pronounced ) is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Tolkien's legendarium, legendarium. ''Turambar and the Foalókë'', begun in 1917, is the first appearance of Túrin in the legendarium. Túrin is a Man (Middle-earth ...

. The album contains eleven songs, including one instrumental and one sung in

Finnish language Finnish (endonym: or ) is a Finnic languages, Finnic language of the Uralic languages, Uralic language family, spoken by the majority of the population in Finland and by ethnic Finns outside of Finland. Finnish is one of the two official langu ...

to celebrate Finland and the Finnish epic poem, the ''

Kalevala The ''Kalevala'' () is a 19th-century compilation of epic poetry, compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Karelian and Finnish oral folklore and mythology, telling a story about the Creation of the Earth, describing the controversies and retaliatory ...

''. The special edition of the album contains the DVD ''10 Years of Battlelore'', with many special features. On 23 October 2011, the group announced via their website an indefinite break from the music scene, indicating that this is not a final farewell.

Reunion show and ''The Return of the Shadow'' (2016, 2022-present)

In January 2016, they announced that they would be performing a reunion concert at Metal Female Voices Fest XIII in October 2016. On 3 June 2022, they released their seventh studio album titled ''The Return of the Shadow'', the band's first album in over a decade.

Style and influences

Battlelore mixes female vocals with harsh male

growling Growling is a low, guttural Animal communication, vocalization produced by animals as an aggression, aggressive warning but can also be found in other contexts such as playful behaviors or mating. Different animals will use growling in specific ...

in "beauty and the beast" duets, backed by heavy guitar riffing and occasional keyboard interludes. The band's style takes elements from

gothic metal Gothic metal (or goth metal) is a fusion genre combining the aggression of heavy metal music, heavy metal with the dark atmospheres of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different ...

folk metal Folk metal is a fusion genre of heavy metal music and traditional folk music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles (for example ...

power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within a symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in co ...

and

melodic death metal Melodic death metal (also referred to as melodeath) is a subgenre of death metal that employs highly melodic guitar riffs, often borrowing from traditional heavy metal (including New Wave of British Heavy Metal). The genre features the heavines ...

. Because of the variety of Battlelore's music, different reviewers have labeled the band with each of these genres, as well as idiosyncratic terms such as "epic metal" or "fantasy metal". Guitarist and founder Jyri Vahvanen described the music of Battlelore as "fantasy metal" and "very bombastic, epic and melodic metal". According to Battlelore's official MySpace website,

Bolt Thrower Bolt Thrower were a British death metal band from Coventry. They formed in 1986 and released their first album with Vinyl Solution in 1988. The band then shifted to a new record label, Earache Records, soon becoming one of the best selling ba ...

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

, The Gathering,

Kyuss Kyuss ( ) was an American stoner rock band formed in Palm Desert, California, in 1987, and considered one of the pioneers of the genre. After disbanding in 1995, a number of band members have gone on to form or play in several notable bands in ...

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...

Morbid Angel Morbid Angel is an American death metal band based in Tampa, Florida, formed in 1983 by guitarist, primary composer and sole remaining original member Trey Azagthoth, vocalist and bassist Dallas Ward, and drummer Mike Browning. Widely considere ...

Katatonia Katatonia is a Swedish Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Stockholm in 1991 by Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström. The band started as a studio-only project for the duo, as an outlet for their love of death metal. Increasing popularity ...

Anathema The word anathema has two main meanings. One is to describe that something or someone is being hated or avoided. The other refers to a formal excommunication by a Christian denomination, church. These meanings come from the New Testament, where a ...

My Dying Bride My Dying Bride are an English doom metal band formed in Bradford. Since their inception in 1990, they have released 15 studio albums, five EPs, one demo, one box set, four compilation albums, one live album, and one live CD/DVD release. Along ...

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...

, W.A.S.P.,

Zakk Wylde Zachary Phillip Wylde (born Jeffrey Phillip Wielandt; January 14, 1967) is an American rock musician. He is best known as the lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne and as the founder, lead guitarist, lead singer, songwriter and producer of the heav ...

Dissection Dissection (from Latin ' "to cut to pieces"; also called anatomization) is the dismembering of the body of a deceased animal or plant to study its anatomical structure. Autopsy is used in pathology and forensic medicine to determine the cause of ...

and

Theatre of Tragedy Theatre of Tragedy was a Norwegian band from Stavanger, active between 1993 and 2010. They are best known for their earlier albums, which influenced the gothic metal genre. History Formation (1993) Theatre of Tragedy was founded on 2 October 199 ...

are some of the artists who influenced the music of the band. Battlelore's lyrics are about

characters and events described by the British author

in ''

'' trilogy of books and in ''

The Silmarillion ''The Silmarillion'' () is a book consisting of a collection of myths and stories in varying styles by the English writer J. R. R. Tolkien. It was edited, partly written, and published posthumously by his son Christopher in 1977, assisted by G ...

''. More lyrical inspiration comes from medieval literature and the

. Starting with the album ''Evernight'', the band deliberately decided not to use names or places taken from the imaginary of Tolkien, although his works remain the main inspiration for their lyrics. The same inspiration marks the band's distinctive pseudo-medieval stage show, in which each member is dressed up in costumes and fantasy makeup to look like "ferocious warriors", "dirty thieves" or "beautiful female elves".

Members

Current members

*Jyri Vahvanen – rhythm guitar (1999-present) *Kaisa Jouhki – female vocals (2000-present) *Henri Vahvanen – drums (2000-present) *Maria Honkanen – keyboards, flute (2000-present) *Jussi Rautio – lead guitar (2002-present) *Tomi Mykkänen – male vocals (2004-present) *Timo Honkanen – bass (2004-present)

Former members

* Miika Kokkola – bass (1999–2004) *

– male vocals (1999–2004) * Tommi Havo – vocals (1999–2000), lead guitar (2000–2002) * Jarkko Heilimo (a.k.a. Gorthaur) – drums (1999–2000) * Arto Mäkikuusela – keyboards (1999–2000)

Guest musicians

* Erik Zacharias – synthesizer * Jyrki Myllärien – classical guitar Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

Promo albums

* ''Warrior's Tale'' (2000) * ''Dark Fantasy'' (2001)

DVDs

* ''The Journey'' (2004)

Videos

* "Journey to Undying Lands" (2003) Director - Antti Hyyrynen (STAM1NA) * "Storm of the Blades" (2005) Director - Markku Kirves * "House of Heroes" (2007) Director - Markku Kirves * "Third Immortal" (2008) * "Firekeeper" (Lyric Video) (2022) * "Chambers Of Fire" (2022) * "Elvenking" (2022) Director - Markku Kirves * "True Dragons" (Lyric Video) (2023)

References

External links

Official website
* Battleloreat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

{{Authority control Musical groups established in 1999 Music based on Middle-earth Lappeenranta Finnish gothic metal musical groups Finnish power metal musical groups Finnish folk metal musical groups Napalm Records artists Seven-string guitarists 1999 establishments in Finland