Biography
J. Vahvanen and M. Kokkola founded BATTLELORE in 1999. Their first promo CD “Warrior’s Tale” was released that same year. “Warrior’s Tale” was praised and liked, but the band caught the attention of Napalm Records only after the release of their second demo “Dark Fantasy” in 2000. “Dark Fantasy” also introduced the at the time new BATTLELORE members; Kaisa Jouhki as the new female vocalist, Henri Vahvanen as the drummer and Maria as the keyboard player. At the request of the label, BATTLELORE recorded an untitled three-track promo CD and soon thereafter the deal was finalized.
In autumn 2001 BATTLELORE recorded their debut “…Where the Shadows Lie” at Music-Bros Studios with producer Miitri Aaltonen. Shortly thereafter due to personal reasons, T. Havo left BATTLELORE. He was replaced by J. Rautio on lead guitar. “…Where the Shadows Lie” got great response worldwide and BATTLELORE roamed onwards with full steam.
The second album “Sword’s Song” was released in spring 2003 and took BATTLELORE to a totally new level in their music. “Sword’s Song” was also recorded at Music-Bros Studios under the guidance of Miitri Aaltonen. The response was huge and thus, BATTLELORE did their first tour around Europe.
BATTLELORE’s first DVD “The Journey” - featuring the energetic live show at Tavastia club - saw the light of day in early 2004 and helped the band further expand their fan base.
In August 2004 BATTLELORE endured another line-up change. Patrik Mennander left the band to follow another career path, leaving his scepter and crown as BATTLELORE’s vocalist behind until a worthy Uruk-Hai warrior would fill this enormous task. His last performance with BATTLELORE took place at the spectacular headlining show at RingCon, the official Lord of the Rings Festival in Bonn, Germany.
After the successful European tour with two session musicians (the low-growling vocalist Tomi Mykkänen and raging bass player Timo Honkanen, who filled in for a temporarily absent Miika Kokkola), BATTLELORE began searching for Patrik’s replacement. Furthermore, Miika Kokkola announced that he too, for personal reasons, would be leaving the band. Luckily, Timo and Tomi’s showing on tour convinced BATTLELORE that they could not find better men for the job.
BATTLELORE’s third album “Third Age of the Sun” was recorded at Sound Suite Studios in spring 2005 resulting in an innovative and fresh finished product. With producer Terje Refsnes at the helm, BATTLELORE found a new sound for their journey through Middle-earth. The band concentrated on creating the perfect atmosphere and underlying moods. They decided to leave out all the overdone computer programming that would result in an inorganic sound. “Third Age of the Sun” was a lively creation in which one can enjoy the sounds of true instruments and where the joy of playing is continually present. The response again overwhelmed everyone as BATTLELORE found their way to the top 40 album chart in Finland right after the release.
The fourth BATTLELORE album, “Evernight”, was recorded in the autumn of 2006. Once again, BATTLELORE chose to work with Miitri Aaltonen at Music-Bros Studios, supported by a state-of-the-art studio and Miitri’s irrefutable experience. The results can be heard in the even more bombastic, more epic and heavier soundscapes. Also the lyrics, which have become deeper and more personal than ever before, underline the evolvement. “Evernight”, as the darkest and strongest BATTLELORE album, continues to remain loyal to the heritage of J. R. R. Tolkien, but the band’s sound has evolved to deliver true atmosphere and a fantastic end result.
Let BATTLELORE show you flashes from the smoky tavern at Umbar, through the green fields of Rohan and finally to the deepest dungeons of Moria. Gather your belongings, clean up your weapons and prepare for WAR!
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