Ever since the explosive display of power metal intrigue with a folksy gloss that was 2014’s The Pagan Manifesto, Italian stalwarts Elvenking have been on a continual winning streak in the studio, crafting one masterpiece after the next with an eye to the fantastical.
Their latest endeavor, a conceptual trilogy dubbed Reader Of The Runes has proven no less spellbinding in its brilliant marriage of this outfit’s original signature mix of olden folklore and driving metal anthems with a more cinematic presentation that has become their studio production standard since the mid-2010s.
To the uninitiated, this resulting sound could be likened to the grandiose character of recent offerings out of Ensiferum and Eluveitie, albeit with the ratio of harsh to cleaner vocal work reversed and the sort of lofty power metal sensibilities more readily associated with Blind Guardian. The consequential 3rd studio act of the previously noted trilogy in Luna underscores these somewhat disparate elements in masterful form, bringing an otherworldly saga to an end on a climactic note.
The continuity in both style and quality that Elvenking enjoys comes from a lineup that has been, for the most part, stable since the close of the 2010s and has remained unchanged since this album’s immediate predecessor.
Multi-instrumentalist and lone constant member of the fold Federico “Aydan” Baston provides a tasteful tapestry of keyboard and symphonic backgrounds, occasional growled vocals while trading riffs with lead guitarist and de facto new guy Mattia “HeadMatt” Carli, whom lands some truly technical solo work on several of this album’s ten towering anthems.
The thunderous rhythm section put forth by bassist Alessandro Jacobi and drummer Simone Morettin is an exercise in tight precision, as the latter proves equally competent in pulling back to a straight rocking stride between laying down the machine gun drummer expected of most power metal percussionists.
The rivalry for most impactful melodic helmsman between Fabio “Lethien” Polo’s intermitted violin melodies that often trade lead work with the guitars and the soaring tenor of principle vocalist Davide “Damnagoras” Moras reaches a fever pitch, turning what is an already elaborate game of notes and timbres into a vivid picture of woodland world beyond.
From a structural standpoint, this closing chapter of the Reader Of The Runes tale bears a greater resemblance to the 2019 first episode Divination, building from a highly kinetic exposition to a grand finale that sees little respite from the action in between.
The opening foray sonic splendor “Season Of The Owl” strikes an instantly cinematic tone with a full-blown Hollywood-like percussion intro before laying down the frenzied riffing, folksy hooks, and rapid fire drumming like it’s going out of style. It proves to be one of the more epic power metal styled entries of the bunch, as what immediately follows plays closer to their folk metal bona fides, beginning with a compact sing-along romp and title entry “Luna” that hearkens back to more stripped-down character of their earliest bangers circa Heathenreel, albeit with the added advantage of a massive 2025 production.
Subsequent banger entries like “Gone Epoch”, “Starbath”, and “The Ghosting” favor a more mid-paced, drinking song mode of folk metal with a heavy emphasis on Lethien’s tuneful violin, though HeadMatt’s singing guitar lines refuse to be upstaged. All the while, the mood maintains an entrancing synchronicity of being festive and mystical, almost as if Damnagoras is leading a woodland mass with a backing band with a pint of ale held high.
Though each individual anthem in this 10-song cycle balances the worlds of power and folk at every second, the longer things go, the more the technical and epic elements of the former are heightened.
Alongside the previously noted speed and majesty of opener “Season Of The Owl”, riff-infused metal crushers like “Stormcarrier” and “Throes Of Atonement” pull no punches in the speed and fury department, featuring plenty of technical moments courtesy of HeadMatt’s 6-string skill set and a correspondingly elaborate displays out of Lethien; culminating in songs that often blur the lines between Elvenking’s established sound and that of Blind Guardian’s Nightfall On Middle Earth.
The pummeling riff work of “On These Haunted Shores” brings in a strong thrash element to further mix things up, and the mysteriously dissonant blend of acoustic and electric elements with a slight symphonic edge that is “The Weeping” all but abandons the folk metal umbrella save for the recurring chant of the chorus section. But the album’s 11-minute coup de grace “Reader Of The Runes – Book II” is where all players in congress truly outdo themselves, taking their audience on a final auditory journey with so many twists and turns that one might get lost were it not for the steady melodic guideposts that come and go amid a tumultuous sea of sound.
The old adage of all good things must come to an end is a bittersweet one in itself, but it proves doubly so given how much of a grand tale Elvenking’s recently concluded trilogy has been. All has been revealed for those who have been following this riveting blend of power/folk grandiosity and fantastical storytelling since its 2019 inception.
But insofar as the broader question of this outfit’s career is concerned, one ending will undoubtedly lead to another beginning, and given the 11-year track record of one winning album after another, it’s safe to say that lore of woodland magic still has many mysteries yet to be unveiled.
Elvenking has hit it out of the park yet again with the final installment of the Reader Of The Runes saga, and as surely as any power metal fan worth their salt will want Luna as part of their collection, many more stories from the forests yore will hopefully arrive in the coming years.
Release Date: April 11th, 2025 Record Label: Reaper Entertainment Genre: Pagan Folk Metal / Heavy Metal
Musicians:
Damna / Vocals
Aydan / Guitar
Headmatt / Guitar
Jakob / Bass
Lethien / Violin
Symohn / Drums
Reader Of The Runes: Luna Track-list:
1. Season of the Owl 2. Luna 3. Gone Epoch 4. Stormcarrier 5. Starbath 6. On These Haunted Shores 7. The Ghosting 8. Throes of Atonement 9. The Weeping 10. Reader of the Runes – Book II
One saga ends and with it comes the promise of even grander horizons as Italian power/folk metal trailblazers Elvenking deliver the riveting conclusion to their Reader Of The Runes trilogy with a grand metallic hurrah to rival Blind Guardian
