Elvenking

Between folk metal and melodic power metal, Elvenking has developed since the late 1990s a universe strongly marked by paganism and fantasy. Formed in Sacile in northeastern Italy around guitarists Aydan and Jarpen, the band refined its identity through several demos before releasing Heathenreel in 2001, which already established the key elements of the Elvenking sound: fast guitars, catchy vocal melodies, and arrangements inspired by traditional music. With Wyrd (2004) and The Winter Wake (2006), Elvenking reinforced this blend of melodic metal and folk motifs, while The Scythe (2007) introduced a darker tone. The acoustic album Two Tragedy Poets (...and a Caravan of Weird Figures) (2008) highlighted the band’s more intimate side, before a return to epic power metal on Red Silent Tides (2010) and Era (2012), the latter featuring a collaboration with Jon Oliva. The Pagan Manifesto (2014) and Secrets of the Magick Grimoire (2017) continued the focus on pagan themes, and Elvenking has since embarked on an ongoing narrative with the concept albums Reader of the Runes - Divination (2019) and Reader of the Runes - Rapture (2023), regularly presented on European metal stages and festivals.