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2023 sees Italian power metal institution Elvenking release Reader of the Runes - Rapture, the second in a planned three-album trilogy that began in 2019 with Reader of the Runes - Divination. In terms of overall sound, this is an Elvenking album, so anyone familiar with their past works can go into this new album confident in what to expect and, for those not familiar, you can read my reviews of the past few albums to get the general idea. While mostly adhering to the template they've employed for the past decade plus, there are some darker elements on Reader of the Runes - Rapture, so this isn't your typical "happy" or "flower" metal release. There is some grit to the guitar sound and especially the vocals and there are occasional death metal growls ("Herdchant," "The Repentant"), thrashy riffs ("Covenant") and even some triggered, blast-beating drums. As I stated, Elvenking is taking a darker, harsher and less folky approach, so the tenor of Reader of the Runes - Rapture falls in the Orden Ogan/Iron Fire range. It's a solid album from a band pushing the envelope just enough to keep it from being a clone of its predecessor.