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Elvenking has surprised me. Normally, I'm such a fan of Power Metal that I can find something good in most releases in this genre. That is not true of 2012's Era. Elvenking start with a promise, in the form of the speedy rocker, "The Loser," but they almost immediately renege on the deal by adding a wimpy, artificial sounding keyboard in the middle of the song. Being a fantasy-based Power Metal band, Elvenking put flutes, strings, tambourines, etc. throughout Era, but almost none of it works to the advantage of any of the songs. At best, they are just there and at worst, they sound like something from a Jethro Tull cover band. The vocal lines belong on an 80s Hard Rock album from Tesla or Honeymoon Suite and none are memorable in any way. The guitars are dull and uninspired. The band plays well, I certainly can't take that away from them, and there are spots that are decent, like the end of "Poor Little Baroness." Too little, too late and those decent spots never go anywhere. Elvenking are a talented band but dropped the ball in the songwriting department this time around.