Blackvale by ELANE

"'Blackvale' convinces with every note and touches the brain and heart in an indescribable way." Orkus! Music Magazine

"Overall a very good piece! Innovation: 13/15 points" - Folkmetal.at

"Exudes hope, confidence and love of life." Ruhrgesichter.de

"Visionary and uplifting! ELANE know how to give dreamers great wings..." Sonic Seducer Music Magazine

"The band's most diversified album so far and an unequivocal recommendation. 9/10 points" Der Hoerspiegel

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BONUS:
As DLC bonus items, all Bandcamp buyers of this album will receive two hi-res album artworks as a download:
An unpublished illustration by Joran Elane for the song "We Walk Hand in Hand" (3330x4434 pixels) and a photograph of the original painting "The Great Wall" (4293x3005 pixels) by Nico Steckelberg.
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“Blackvale” is the seventh studio album by fantasy folk band ELANE. With its songs, it crosses the border between fantasy and reality. The eleven songs on the album describe the emotional journey of life and the black valley that has to be crossed on the way to individual happiness. Stories from the fantastic world of Glenvore are mashed-up with real feelings and experiences from the past ten years. It's the band's most melancholic album to date, while offering many islands of light and confidence.

Since the band formed in 2001, their compositions and arrangements have drawn on a variety of musical styles. This genre fusion allows each song to fully unfold its individual mood and create a lasting effect on its listeners.

“Blackvale” again works with different stylistic devices that are symbiotically coordinated in their interaction. The pieces are sometimes dreamily atmospheric and then again intoxicatingly energetic and motivating.
ELANE let their folk roots run wild in their songwriting. Many different varieties of folk music are represented, from Celtic and Pagan folk to folkloristic pop music and folk rock.
That's why "Blackvale" can sound electronically driving in a moment and then, in the following song, be completely pure, acoustic and close to nature again.
ELANE's proven bombastic orchestral sound can be found in many of the tracks. The band will be supported by the British cellist Anna Stuart from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

The result of this artistic melange is a varied musical journey through light and shadow in eleven musical chapters.

"Blackvale" will be available as a download, stream and CD version with an artistically de-signed booklet full of fantastic illustrations, including all lyrics.

Background and Trivia:
In the Tarot, the symbol "Two of Swords" shows a blindfolded woman dressed in white. In each of her hands, which are crossed in front of her chest, she holds a sword. This card represents great doubt, a double-edged sword, and uncertainty about which decision is the right one.
In contrast to this is the "The Queen of Swords". She is the mistress of her own thoughts. In the Tarot, this card stands for perfect understanding and harmony between knowledge and feelings.

The cover illustration of "Blackvale" shows ELANE frontwoman Joran in the role of a queen-to-be in the midst of the change process: Out of the dark times of doubt and uncertainty, into a state of mental clarity and emotional balance.

That's what “Blackvale” is all about. The songs on the album arose over many years from life situations that challenged the band members. Separating from the tried and true, leaving home and losing loved ones lead us through a deep black valley of despair before life can go on. But there are many rays of hope that show us the way forward and reward us at the end of the difficult journey. There is no shortcut to emotional balance. We all have to go through “Blackvale” at some point before we can find ourselves in a state of inner peace.

„Blackvale“ ist das siebte Studioalbum und das erste eigenständige ELANE-Werk seit 2008. Zuvor arbeitete die Band mit dem Phantastik-Autor Kai Meyer zusammen und veröffentlichte mehrere Alben zu dessen Romanen. 2019 erschien ein Soundtrack-Album in Kooperation mit dem Spieleentwickler Michael Menzel zu dessen Brettspielreihe „Die Legenden von Andor“ („Kennerspiel des Jahres 2013“).

"Blackvale" is the seventh studio album and the first independent ELANE work since 2008. The band previously worked with the fantasy author Kai Meyer and released several albums based on his novels. In 2019, a soundtrack album was released in cooperation with the game developer Michael Menzel for his board game series "The Legends of Andor" ("Game of the Year 2013").

Tracklist

1.	Sternenwind	6:00

2.	Home is Where You Are	4:23

3.	Searchlight	4:26

4.	Scarborough Fair	3:43

5.	Keyhole	4:02

6.	We Walk Hand in Hand	5:30

7.	My Guardian of Dawn	5:18

8.	An Angel Reappears	4:17

9.	The Great Wall	3:58

10.	Something Else	4:41

11.	Ach, bittrer Winter	3:01

Credits

released November 11, 2022

Produced, mixed and edited by Markus Skroch & Nico Steckelberg
Recorded and mastered by Markus Skroch at Kalthallen

License