ELMSFIRE – Thieves Of The Sun
- Posted on 19-05-2012
An intriguing traditional, epic styled metal act from Germany here. Formed by guitarists Germano and Doro (not to be confused with Doro Pesch) in 1999, they’ve evolved through a series of demo tapes, EP’s and lineup changes to now unleash their debut album “Thieves Of The Sun”. The sextet incorporate a feel for cultural and majestic riffing- coupled with atmospheric melodies and occasional medieval motifs- to make songs like “Taipouri”, “Worth A Tale”, and “Stormchild” worthy of most Falconer, Oceans Of Sadness and possibly older Blind Guardian mavens.
Their sense of pacing and catchiness with their guitar parts, bright keyboard flourishes, and a rhythm section who keep the arrangements fresh and invigorating gives Elmsfire an edge over the competition. Erdmann’s singing keeps the band away from normal soaring escapades into more of a basic mid-range capability, along with a slightly James Hetfield meets Fernando from Moonspell quality- some of his best performances appearing on the more dramatic “Escape”. And what could be more appropriate to tackle lyrically than the adventures of Moby Dick in the song “Ahab”- featuring a pirate narrative opening and traversing the stormy seas with a variety of double bass flavors and multi-part chorus harmonies.
“Thieves Of The Sun” will not be a stunner right out of the gate. Most epic oriented efforts require sustained listening to gather the full scope of a band’s intention. The natural sounds Elmsfire employ separate this from the pack- as I feel that certain styles of metal need not be digitally crystal clear for they lose long term impact.
The lengthy development of the band pre-record deal should give the listener a clue that Elmsfire are in this for more than any possible passing trend. Keep an eye on this act- they could go places.