Life is a bitch when you beat out 79 other bands in Germany-wide Metalius competition, produce competent professional sounding music, yet can’t get a label to release your Moorcock-styled, epic fantasy oriented beautifully designed mini-album. Aeveron seemed to have persevered and The Ancient Realm finally saw the light of day in 2006.

Quite difficult to categorize, I would allow myself to politely disagree with bandmembers citing their sound to follow in the wake of In Flames, Hypocrisy and Edge of Sanity. Perhaps it matters more that I liked the music, than the fact we agree on what style of metal the band plays. In my opinion, Aeveron can satisfy many an epic metal lover, ranging from straight power to some melodic blackened and deathy styles. If your criteria for acceptance of melodic music do not necessarily exclude extreme vocals, Aeveron’s The Ancient Realm may very well be merging with your power metal territory.

Clean cut, well structured and head nodding riffs make up the foundation of just about every album’s song. These riffs delivered in the traditional style, and thus invoking power metal analogies, Fallen into Oblivion sounds quite heroic and the beginning of Battle of Retaliation, fittingly, is something you can definitely ride into battle with. All this heavy riffing, a few ripping guitar hero solos, laid next to a healthy dose of machine gun bass guitar and rumbling double bass drumming, does bring up Wolf and Primal Fear a lot more than anything Gothenborg.

To its credit, Aeveron took The Ancient Realm far away from typical power metal. The multiplicity in Thomas’ vocals is impressive. He is a bit formulaic in the fact that verse gallop is generally sung in the lower pitched deathy voice, almost Amon Amarth style, while choruses on The Stranger and Fallen into Oblivion are overlays of clean singing and blackened shrieks. The pattern may be the same, but the layered result is pushing the band away from the ordinary. Add in keyboards and orchestral arrangements ranging from nature vastness and ominous notes (Far Beyond the Horizon) to valiant and epic atmosphere (Fallen into Oblivion, Battle of Retaliation), quick folk interludes and flute ending on Fallen into Oblivion – and the end result is something I can see the fans of Ensiferum, Turisas and maybe even Amon Amarth embracing in the same room with those liking Wolf and Dream Evil.

Call them whatever you want, Aeveron have a way of immersing the listener in the far away lands, but believable, atmosphere, brimming with epic anticipation and very proficient performance. Here is to hoping that better luck befalls the band soon, and this mini-album is an overture of things to come.