Coventhrall is a Finnish Power Metal band with a love of science fiction and epic storylines. This album has space pirates, and who doesn’t love that? With a narrator and multiple vocalists to create more of a Metal Opera style concept album, this album has layers of sound in both the vocals and the instrumentation. Three guitars and keyboards give this an atmospheric feel worthy of being set in space. Formed in 2005, they’ve had a steady lineup for most, if not all, of their existence, something that is not as common as it used to be. I can only assume this is part of why they sound like a single, solid unit as a band, they know who they are, and believe in their identity. Dive into this and you will hear that also.

https://coventhrall.bandcamp.com/album/legacy-of-morfuidra

Band Members:

  • Sami Ilvonen – Vocals
  • Toni Bite – Guitars
  • Kimmo Korhonen – Guitar Solos
  • Jukka Hoffrén – Bass/Guitars/Keyboards
  • Janne Ojala – Drums

Starring:

  • Sami Ilvonen – Narrator
  • Tuomas Nieminen – Avatar
  • Tapio Wilska – Galactic Emperor
  • Tanja Kemppainen – Princess Celeste

Nova Burst:  

  • Sami Hakala – Drone
  • Aleksi Parviainen – Ghost      
  • Markku Kuikka – Mace                       
  • Christian Palin – Fire-Bat

Release Date:

March 15, 2024 – Inverse Records

https://www.inverse.fi

Tracklist:

  1. Prologue
  2. Morfuidra
  3. Dreadnought
  4. In These Halls
  5. Avatar
  6. Space Race
  7. Galactic Emperor
  8. Empress In The Making
  9. Nova Burst
  10. Battle In The Morfuidran Expanse
  11. Victory

“Prologue” sets the stage for the opening of this Epic Metal record. Ominous synthesizers fade in and build, ushering in horns and wind instruments before the drums join faintly. The build takes almost two minutes, taking us to the title track, “Morfuidra.” The theme carries on here with the guitars and bass jumping in to create a larger version of the intro. The vocals here are gritty, but clean, layered in some sections to fill more of the soundscape. The drums are faster here, driving the song with a heavy determination meant to establish the Power Metal bona fides.

Continuing through “Dreadnought” and “In These Hills,” the heaviness of the riffs is supported by massive rhythms, powered by bass, drums, and rhythm guitars. Solos, leads and fills are woven throughout the tracks, giving them a touch of delicacy and intricacy to offset the bombastic weight of the riffing. The voice alternates between a lower register chest voice and soaring head voice like a true Power Metal singing warrior.

This is one of those albums that builds a world in which an epic quest must take place. The hero, or protagonist if you prefer fancy words, has to start from home, journey through the lands, face both inner and external demons, and then return home victorious. One of the big differences is that Coventhrall uses different personnel, additional singers, to voice some of the enemies, allowing them to put another voice to the evil. Going that extra step makes a huge difference. This is not one singer trying to sound different, it is multiple vocalists crafting an entire cast of characters to give the story authenticity.

It has taken almost 20 years to get the first full-length album from this band, and you can see why it took so long. The depth and breadth of this story are amazing, the complexity of the compositions gives the sense of a carefully thought-out story that takes time to write, to rewrite, to perfect. It is not easy to build an entire world, yet here we are, hearing an Epic Metal story of an entire realm. Maybe there is more to the story? Dare we dream?

MZ Ratings:

Musicianship:

  •             Guitars – 10
  •             Rhythms – 9
  •             Vocals – 9
  • Songwriting – 9
  • Production – 9

Overall – 9.20