The original version of “Star Sky,” vocal included.

A vocal choir comes in to put the finishing touches on the high points. The bass provides a smashing harmony in the background, and Bergersen (who I assume put this one together, but it could have been Nick Phoenix) pulls out all the stops with the horns on this one, really allowing them to let loose. The leading violin in the melody is absolutely gorgeous.Ī heavy piece with notable strings (as both the backdrop and melody in some areas), horns, and trombones. The vocals from “Star Sky” have been removed for the instrumental version, leaving an orchestral masterpiece of horns, strings, flutes, percussion, and bass. “Stronger Faster Braver” starts out soft with some light flutes and chimes, but it slowly builds into an awesome french horn melody that ultimately becomes a potent horn/vocal combination punctuated by electric guitar.Ī swashbuckling track that sounds like it was pulled straight out of a pirate adventure, “Cannon in D Minor” features a largely horn chorus with heavy percussion and string additions.Īs the title states, this is the instrumental version of “Star Sky” which is also on Battlecry. It’s also been recently released as a single, extended, vocal version featuring Two Steps from Hell regular Merethe Soltvedt under the title “Children of the Sun,” which is also fantastic. It’s filled with synthesizers, and a hectic flurry of strings provides the cornerstone for the rest of music to build upon. This is a bracing song that slams you back in your seat from the very beginning. Now, it’s one of my favorite on the album! This was one of those tracks that didn’t originally impress me, but which grew on me the more I listened. The feel of the music is Viking-esque, and the pounding rhythm brings to mind a longboat of raiders keeping in time with their oars. “Release Me” is a great track, with strings providing a large portion of the background to produce an almost frenetic backdrop for a straightforward vocal, french horn, and string chorus that is pushed forward by a french horn harmony.Ī powerful track driven by a rhythmic beat. There are 26 tracks I’ll count down the top ten – all of which are must haves.

It’s very much a throwback album, in that the overall tone is reminiscent of their earliest releases, such as Invincible, with a largely heroic, epic feel (as opposed to Miracles, which was mainly soft and beautiful, and also different from albums like Illusions and Sun, which are chiefly filled with niche music – some tribal or cultural, others ethereal or indescribable). It couldn’t beat out Sun for my favorite album, but it is a worthy addition to the TSfH legacy. Overall, Battlecry was fantastic and lived up to all my expectations. Now that I’ve had time to listen through the album several hundred times (or at least fifty) I’ll give a rundown of the top ten tracks.

Battlecry, the newest album by Two Steps from Hell, was released on April 28th.

Best two steps from hell albums