I know a bit about the Lord of the Rings books, having the distinction of being not only a fantasy and sci-fi nerd, but also a pen and paper role-playing game fan. My first experience of this was playing Middle Earth Role Playing Game aged 11 or so, before I graduated onto the TSR Dungeons and Dragons game, Call of Cthulhu, Twilight 2000 and Cyberpunk games, among others. I’m not a huge nerd for Tolkien in the main, while understanding his impressive knack for creating a rich and deep world with history and lore. The influence he has had on heavy metal is really immeasurable, whether it be the tendency for bands in the 90’s to nick all his characters for their alter egos, or with bands like Battlelore or Summoning that take all of their inspiration from the dude. Olorin are a band that create music just about Tolkien.
Through Shadow and Flame is an album which focusses on just one section of the books – the battle between Gandalf and the Balrog at the bridge of the deserted Khazad-Dum. It’s a pretty epic moment in literature, to be fair. The music that is created in its reference is also pretty epic in scope, being for the main part a traditional doom metal affair, that errs on the side of the more melodic side of Reverend Bizarre’s nature. There are some really catchy moments of songwriting, as with the opening riffing and rumbling rhythm section of the dizzying “Descension”, which has shades of a oriental feeling as with legendary act Solitude Aeturnus. Actually, throughout the album, I am quite the fan of the music. Most of it is pretty hooky, memorable epic doom with a slightly ominous feel.
There’s a “but” here. Clay Sibley (vocals) can’t sing. That is pretty stark, but I am afraid it’s true. Now, I don’t mind challenging vocals at all. In fact, I’m quite the fan of some vocals that really turn others off; I was a big fan of Chuck Moseley’s work both with and after Faith No More. Tim Baker’s vocals (Cirith Ungol) take some adjusting to. Clay’s however, are flat, out of key and pretty thin. It’s a shame, because there are some moments when he really lets rip, and the power of his voice comes out, but 99% of the time, it’s a lifeless and jarring performance. I really can’t stress how badly the vocal performance effects the overall listening experience. There are some really well written and played songs here (my personal favourite is the swaggering “Ringwe”), but they are as one undone by the singing. They push through “idiosyncratic”, past “kooky” and end up parking in “bad”. Sorry lads, and Clay in particular. When he belts out a couple of lines in full power, there is some real promise, but between those moments? It ruins the rest.
As it is, I do see a huge amount of potential in Olorin. There’s lots to like, but really, I just can’t get beyond the vocals.
(6/10 Chris Davison)
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