Doombound, the 6th outing from Finnish metallers Battlelore, sees the band return to a musical style closer to that of their earlier records. A concept album, Doombound follows the story of Tolkien's tragic hero Túrin Turambar (who features in the posthumously released Tolkien novel The Children of Húrin.)

Stylistically, there are moments on this record where Battlelore begin to sound somewhat like Within Temptation, but with a twist of Amon Amarth style riffs & heavy vocals, which is a nice way of mixing up traditional female fronted symphonic metal. Logging in at over 8 minutes, the title track is a heavier, meatier kind of track, with a riff that can really move your gut and make you want to beat your ribs. The only problem, however, is that the track seems to lack any kind of a climax, and you're left wondering where all the energy went.
Whilst it might not be remembered as one of the best albums released in 2011, Doombound is still a solid album, a worthy addition to the collection of any fan of Epic/Viking Metal.

If you only check out one track from this album, make sure it's "Last of the Lords", with it's fast pace and layered vocals, it's one that is certain to have fans moshing at the live shows.



Album rating: 7/10