Formed in 2007, Canadian metallers Elderoth bring you their second studio album, Mystic.
Mystic opens with the very promising intro track ‘Within’. After a few seconds of feeling like you are strolling through a Chinese street market, the track introduces the guitars and descends into a dirty, dissonant guitar section that is contrasted by the melodic plinking of what sounds like a Guzheng. A great section that filled me with hope for what was to follow.
The album as a whole does deliver some great hooks, melodic vocal sections, interesting rhythmic sections and is certainly something of a fantasia. But, if you have ever heard the phrase “try-hard” then you will know what I mean when I say that this album seems a bit too try-hard. Despite the glaring contrast between some of the sections, they have still managed to create a good degree of continuity throughout the album, which shows that they have successfully managed to bring their own flavour to the table – it’s just not to my palate.
For me the highlights are the first and last tracks, and not because ‘Always Remember’ brings the album to a close; it is actually a great composition and allows their Eastern influence to shine through to great effect.
