Númenor – Serbian Metal from the Kingdom of the Dúnedain

Dovendyr

Númenor – Serbian Metal from the Kingdom of the Dúnedain

Power metal is an interesting subgenre of metal as a whole. It can revolve around many different topics, like historical figures and a feeling of unstoppable resistance. However, one of power metal’s most undeniable sources of inspiration is the realm of fantasy. There is arguably no property in fiction or fantasy referenced more in this subgenre than J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and the world of Middle Earth. Bands like Amon Amarth, Gorgoroth, Cirith Ungol, and most notably Blind Guardian all take influence from Tolkien in some manner. In this post, we’ll look at a blackened power metal band named after a different, arguably lesser-known part of Tolkien’s world. That band is Númenor.

Númenor’s current logo (Image obtained from metallum)

Laying the Foundation

Our journey begins in Belgrade, Serbia circa 2004, where a group of people came together to form the band Franconian Frost. Admittedly, I could not find too much information on Franconian Frost. I presume that the band would break up and reform under the moniker Esgaroth in 2005. This group would be formed with Andrej Mišić on drums and Despot Marko Miranović on lead vocals. Ivan Vukosaljević would join them in 2006, taking the helm on guitar, bass, and keyboard. Pretty much right out of the gate, the influence from Tolkien is present. The name of the band shares the name of a town on Long Lake in “The Hobbit”, downriver from the mountain of Erebor. If I’m correct, I think this is the same town that Smaug destroys in “The Battle of the Five Armies”.

Now, Esgaroth would really only put out a 3 song Demo in 2005 and a 3 song EP in 2006. I honestly could not find either. The band has had various members come and go since its formation in 2005, including 2 bass players, 3 guitarists, a drummer, and a few keyboard players. However, the band would officially change its name to Númenor in 2009 and has continued under that name ever since. Ironically, I read Tolkien’s Silmarillion before and I barely remember any mention of Númenor. So, I decided to look up more on it.

A map of the Island of Numenor (image obtained from The Tolkien Forum Wiki)

Númenor is a 5-pointed island in the Belegaer Sea, located between Middle Earth and Aman. It would be home to the Númenorian’s, the Dunedain, and the Aman. After the events of the Silmarillion, the island and its inhabitants that remained effectively became servants to Morgoth, corrupted by Sauron. Luckily, not all of the inhabitants would succumb to this fate. Some of the Dunedain would find refuge in other parts of middle earth. The Dunedain had split into two factions, and would eventually be unified under Aragorn (yes, that Aragorn).

The First Steps as Númenor

Númenor would look to increase its output, and, under the new name, that goal would start to come to fruition. In 2009, the band released its first split with another power metal band from Belgrade, Serbia, known as Forlorn Wisp. Númenor is composed of Andrej, Ivan, Despot, and fellow vocalist Gordon Lanzinca on this release. The split itself is five songs long, with Numenor providing two. Those two songs, “Monarchy Divine” and “Once We Were Kings”, admittedly are vastly different from what the band would put out later in their career. “Monarchy Divine” feels more like straight black metal than it does power metal. While there are some elements closer to power metal, song’s vocals, drumming, and guitar work feel more like black metal.

“Once We Were Kings” is even further from this mark. It feels more like blackened technical death metal, with symphonic elements. The nice thing with this song, however, is that the symphonic element is much more prevalent in this track. They are not the best songs, but perhaps I’m being a bit harsh on them. I mean you have to learn to crawl before you can learn to walk right? And besides, a band’s sound can and, more often than not, will change over time. So, for now, I’ll give these songs a pass. 

Númenor included these songs on their follow-up EP, “Opus Draconis”, released on June 20th, 2011. The EP would also see the band add two more members, Vladimir Đedović and Srđan “Sirius” Branković. Both came in as guitarists. The EP contained a new track, “Aeons of Magic” and a cover of Summonings “The Legend of the Master Ring”. “Aeons of Magic”, I’d say, is my favorite song of the three original songs released thus far. It has elements of power metal, symphonic metal, black metal, and even a few hints of death metal. In my opinion, they blend slightly better than on “Monarchy Divine” and “Once We Were Kings”.

The cover of Summonings “The Legend of the Master Ring”, I think, actually fits the band quite well. It has well-played piano moments and has a more atmospheric feeling to it. I’m not a fan of atmospheric black metal in the slightest, but here it works fairly well. I think a big part of why it works so well here is the fact that the song is fairly influenced by Tolkien’s work, especially with the lyrics. If you like Summonings version (the original version), you’d probably like this with next to no issues. 

The Forgotten Legends EP

A few months later, on November 28th, 2011, Númenor would release another EP, “The Forgotten Legends”. The EP consists of the cover of “The Legend of the Master Ring” and a cover of Summonings “Dagor Bragollach”. Again, if you like the original versions, you should enjoy these just fine. What I find weird, is that only Despot, Vladimir, and Srđan are credited, at least according to the metal archives. It’s odd to me, because on June 20th, 2012, the band released a single, titled “The  Alchemist”.

According to Metallum, the three of them, as well as Andrej, and new member Bálint Kemény received credit for the release. I’m not entirely sure if Andrej left, and came back, but the single would see Ivan and Gordon leave permanently. The song itself is alright. It feels more like symphonic black metal, with its keyboards, guitar and drumming. The solo, however, feels more like they are out of power metal. It’s an interesting song that I think helped get the band going in the right direction.

This same line-up of Despot, Vladimir, Srđan, Andrej, and Bálint would stay for the bands next release. This release, “Ravens and Blood”, is a two-song split with Advent Sorrow, from Perth, Western Australia. Numenor would have one of the two songs on the split, that being “The Eternal Champion”. The song starts with a more mellow feeling, focusing on synth elements, then leading into black metal vocals. I also noticed that the song goes back and forth between distorted black metal style vocals and cleaner vocals. I like the change to the vocal style, as I feel it helps to differentiate them from other similar bands. Many times I feel like blackened power metal bands will look to focus on one style of vocals. It’s nice to see the band trying something different.

On November 26th, 2012, Númenor released a single, titled “Dreaming Towers”. I admit that I could not find a copy of this song, so I’m not sure what it sounds like. The same five would comprise the lineup, for the band’s next single release, “Hour of the Dragon”, released on January 27th, 2013. The same element of a symphonic start and a black metal vocal track would re-appear. But, here the symphonic elements feel more energetic, at least in the beginning when compared to the previous release. The clean vocals would take a back seat to the black metal style vocals. Between the two singles, it’s hard to say which is the better one. Both have elements for different people with different tastes, so I think it really comes down to preference. 

Colossal Darkness

Númenor – Colossal Darkness (2013) (Image obtained from metallum)

A few months later, on June 11th, 2013, Númenor would release a two-song EP, titled “Servants of Sorcery”. The songs included are only “Aeons of Magic” and “Once We Were Kings”. The only ones credited on the release were Despot, Andrej, and Ivan, with Gordon listed as a session vocalist. The lineup on this release would change for the band’s next release, which happens to be their first full-length album. “Colossal Darkness”, released on August 29th, 2013, would see the band primarily composed of Despot, Vladimir, and Srđan, with Gordon being a guest vocalist once again, and Bálint would receive a songwriting credit. Srđan would also receive credit for recording and mixing the album, and various other people received credit for miscellaneous elements.

The album opens up with an instrumental piece and then feeds into the three previously released songs. The back end of the album has four new songs, and kicks off with “Chronomancer”. The song starts off with an eerie symphonic vibe, before going into a fast-paced black metal riff. The verse blends the symphonic elements with black metal vocals in a relatively high-energy experience. The next song, “Servants of Sorcery”, starts off with more of a black metal sound, but utilizes clean vocals intermittently throughout. It’s calmer compared to the previous song, but still enjoyable throughout.

“While The Gods Laugh” begins with symphonic elements, but not so much the eerie vibe that “Chronomancer” has. It’s not the best song on the album, but again enjoyable. The last song on the album, “The Sailor on The Seas of Fate”, starts with a fairly somber piano piece. It maintains this somber feeling throughout, even as the guitars and vocals start to pick up. It has a much more epic feel to it, which works well for the album as a closer.

The album as a whole feels well composed and is an overall great effort by the band. It feels like the band is slowly starting to solidify their sound and become what they are today. Now, I was able to listen to the album on Numenor’s own Youtube channel. The album seems to be heavily influenced by Bal-Sagoth, a symphonic black metal band from Sheffield, England. The band even went on to confirm this in the comments, saying that they were inspired by Bal-Sagoth, especially in the vocals. Although I don’t listen to Bal-Sagoth, it’s nice to know that the band is drawing inspiration from one of the other members of the subgenre. All forms of music, in one manner or another, are influenced by their predecessors. With this album, Numenor seems to be doing just that, and the effort is well worth the listen. 

Sword and Sorcery

Númenor – Sword and Sorcery (2015) (Image obtained from Metallum)

The band would see Vladimir leave in 2014, with his spot filled for the upcoming album by a session member. Although Vladimir would leave, the band would carry on. Númenor, I presume, would go on tour in support of the new album, and spend time writing new material. I am partially correct in this presumption. On September 15th, 2015, the band released its second full-length album, titled “Sword and Sorcery”.

The album kicks off with an instrumental piece, done by Mladen Gošić, which leads into the first song, “Dragonheart”. “Dragonheart” starts off with a riff played on a synth (rhyming unintentional), and leads into a more symphonic piece, followed by a kick-ass solo. The vocals primarily utilize a black metal style in the verse, but clean vocals in the chorus, with some additional vocals provided by Anđela Isić. The song blends the elements of power metal and black metal very well, between the drumming, and the kickass guitar solos; it’s a great way to open the album.

The next song, “The Arcanist”, has more of a blackened groove metal sound to it, primarily in its guitar work. However, the song still retains the power metal elements in some of the backing vocals and synth work. It’s odd but enjoyable. After a brief piano interlude, we get “The Prince In The Scarlet Robe”, as the fifth track on the album. The song starts off with that same feeling of well-blended black metal and power metal. The clean vocals, provided by Željko Jovanović, sound clear on this track, and you can tell that he is putting forth a good amount of effort on this track.

After “the Prince In The Scarlet Robe”, we have “The Oath of Feanor”, which starts out with a harp, before going into the guitar and synth work. Once again, that blend of power metal and black metal is present, even if the song can lean slightly more towards power metal at times – particularly in its guitar work. The next song, “Dragon of Erebor”, starts with more instrumental work, before going into a pretty neat guitar work. What is nice about this song is that it goes back and forth between black metal vocals and clean vocals. Jovanović’s vocals really stand out in this song. On top of that, the song maintains its high energy throughout allowing this song to really be a stand-out on the album as a whole.

The album has a third and final instrumental piece, which feeds perfectly into “Bane of Durin”. The song has a slower pace, and has a more somber feeling, but also feels well put together. It also leans more towards black metal, except in the solo, which feels more like power metal, and kicks some ass. The album ends with “Sleeping Sorceress”. The song has an eerie feeling to it, with somber piano music, and what I think is a gospel choir of some sort. The guitar work and drumming seem to move between moments of higher energy and lower energy line a sin curve, before giving the listener a good solo, and then following it up with a much slower instrumental section. The song adds a few more distorted vocals before fading out of a neat guitar riff. 

Overall, this album feels like the point where the band solidified their sound. That blend of power metal and black metal feels more consistent throughout the album. You can tell that the members are building off of the previous release. On top of that, the efforts from Mladen and Željko helped make the album feel different from its predecessor. The two would remain as permanent members of the band after this album’s release. The album feels well put together, and although it may end a bit weird, it’s worth it for the standouts. Speaking of which, the album was re-released a year later under a different label. I am not sure if it was included in the original or the re-release. I do know that the band would include a cover of Blind Guardian’s song “Valhalla” on the album.

It was actually the cover of “Valhalla” that introduced me to this band in the first place. When I first heard it, I already knew the original version. I was impressed to see them maintain the same high-paced energy rush that the original had. On top of that Željko’s vocals fit perfectly with the song, and Despot’s black metal style vocals help to add a nice bit of contrast to the song. This helps make it stand out from some of the other songs that Númenor has done so far. Combine that with guitar and drums that keep their foot on the gas throughout, and you have one thoroughly enjoyable cover of a great song. 

Sometime in 2016 (I don’t know if it was before or after the re-release of “Swords and Sorcery”), Srđan “Sirius” Branković would take a step back from drumming to focus more on the guitars and bass for the band. Marko Milojević filled the drummer’s position. The band’s lineup would stay as it is, with Despot and Željko on vocals, Srđan on guitar and bass, and Mladen on keyboard. 

Chronicles from the Realms Beyond

Númenor – Chronicles from the Realms Beyond (2017) (Image obtained from Metallum)

On September 5th, 2017, Númenor would release its third full-length album, “Chronicles from the Realms Beyond”. Now, before I get into the actual album, I should mention that there are two versions of the album. One is the original (which supposedly had the cover of Valhalla on it). To be honest, when I found out about the cover, the image used was Sword and Sorcery, so I count it as a song on that album. I wholly admit that I could be wrong about where that cover is included, but I digress. The other is a re-release with two additional songs.

The re-release came out on October 29th, 2018. For the sake of including all of the songs, that’ll be the version I use for this post. The re-release has 10 songs in total and starts off with “Heart of Steel”, which leans more towards power metal, especially in the guitars and lyrics. What you’ll notice right off the bat is that the song goes between Željko’s clean vocals and Despot’s darker, more black metal-focused vocals. This would continue to be a recurrence throughout the album, and honestly, I like the balance between them.

Ultimately, I think this works to the band’s advantage. I cannot think of many other power/black metal bands that do this, which helps make them stand out from others. Throw in a pretty neat solo and you have yourself a solid opener. The next song “Carven Stone”, once again, feels more like power metal, with some elements of black metal added, primarily via Despot’s vocals. The song itself is enjoyable, with guitar work that also retains that power metal feeling in the riffs and solo.

However, the next song on the album, “Witching Hour”, begins with more of a feeling of being black metal, primarily in the guitars and drumming. Despot’s vocals take center stage here, with some synth notes popping up here and there throughout. The song’s solos have a feeling of being a really well-mixed blend of both black metal and power metals solos. It’s actually a nice change-up from the previous two songs. If you enjoy black metal, this one might be more up your alley.

The next song, “Beyond the Doors of the Night”, also begins more like a black metal song, but here the synths are a bit more prevalent. The song also includes some additional vocals from session vocalist Sandra Laureano. The song has a neat solo and a slower section where Sandra’s vocals take more presence. “Moria”, the next song, begins with a simple chord progression, and Sandra’s vocals. All three vocalists get chances to shine in this song, as the song rotates between their sections.

I also have to admit, Srđan’s guitar solo really stands out here, even if it is really brief. The backend of the album kicks off with one of the two songs added for the re-release, “The Hour of the King”. The song does have more of a power metal feeling throughout. It has a more epic feeling than on other songs on the album, which is nice to hear.

The album follows up with “Lorde’s of Chaos”, a song inspired by the book series Elric of Melnibone (Numenor would confirm this on YouTube, look in the comments). The song has more of a black metal tone, with Despot’s vocals taking center stage over Željko’s. Again, if you like black metal, this might be more up your alley. “Over the Mountains Cold”, begins with more like black metal, but with Despot and Željko sharing the effort on vocals. This song feels like a nice blend of both black metal and power metal, which I think is what the band was going for throughout the album. If that is the case, then this song, I think is the best example of that goal coming to fruition. There is a nice balance between the two genres here, and all of the elements mix well.

The last two songs on the album include “The Last of the Dragonlord’s”, and “Realms Beyond”, the latter of which is an instrumental piece. “The Last of the Dragonlords”, once again sees the band have a well-put-together blend of black metal and power metal. The song really doesn’t feed into the instrumental; more it sort of ends abruptly, and then the instrumental piece starts.

Overall, the album is good. There are some moments where the songs can lean more towards one genre over the other, so just be conscious of that while you are listening to it. Those last three songs are really where the album has its blend of the two genres mixed well. You can also tell that a similar level of effort was put in on this album as on “Sword and Sorcery”. The production feels consistent between the entries. This does beg the question of whether this album is better than “Sword and Sorcery”, and for me, it’s on a par with “Sword and Sorcery”.

There are some stylistic changes between the albums, and the songs can lean a bit more towards one genre than on the previous album. But overall, the album feels like it’s a continuation of the previous outing. There is nothing that I can definitively say makes it better or worse than “Sword and Sorcery”. And that’s not a bad thing. Consistency in music is a great thing to have – hell Motorhead is a pretty damn good example of that. So, all in all, I think what would make one better than the other is sheer preference. Give both a listen and decide for yourself. 

Make the Stand EP

Now, Numenor, I think, would take some time to go on tour in support of the new album, and take time to rest and write new material. Given that their next outing would come in the form of an EP in 2021, I think it’s likely that both of those events occurred. The EP in question, “Make the Stand”, was released via Bandcamp on January 18th, 2021. The EP contains four songs, two of which are new. The other two songs are a remix of Dragon of Erebor and the cover of Blind Guardian’s Valhalla.

It’s actually sort of important that I mention Blind Guardian’s presence on the EP, as Hansi Kürsch, the lead singer of Blind Guardian, would appear as a guest vocalist on the EP’s title track. “Make the Stand”, the song, is more power metal, and that works to the songs advantage, as hearing Hansi’s vocals makes the song feel like Numenor and Blind Guardian co-wrote it.

For only being a three-minute song, it really does have a ton of energy, and everyone in the music video seems like they are enjoying themselves. I’d say that this is the best, or at least my favorite, song that the band has released up until this point. The other new song, “Where the Battle Rages On”, sees Despot take center stage on vocals once again. I’m not sure if Željko makes an appearance on this song – I think he does. There is a section with odd-sounding clean vocals, but I honestly don’t know if that is Željko’s voice or not. The song is more in the style of black metal, and while enjoyable, it’s not personally my favorite.

Draconian Age

Númenor – Draconian Age (2021) (Image obtained from Metallum)

Númenor’s included both of these new songs on their fourth studio album, “Draconian Age”, released on March 5th, 2021. The album kicks off with “Make the Stand”, which now has a subtitle of “At the Gates of Erebor”, before leading into “Numenor”. The vocals from Željko, at least I think it’s Željko, sound a bit different from different releases. His vocals here hit a lower range than on previous albums, and seem to have a more mellow tone to them. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; it’s just a bit odd.

“Hall of the Mountain King” starts off with a guitar rendition of the Edvard Grieg piece of the same name before becoming its own thing that maintains a loose connection to the original piece. Admittedly, it’s an odd track that combines metal with classical music and is probably one of the weaker tracks on the album, but a clever concept to try out.

The song that follows, “Feanor” is a bit more in line with what Numenor traditionally does, and even Željko’s vocals sound more like his usual style. The song has a bit more pep to it and in my view is one of the better songs on the album. “Mirror Mirror” has more of a black metal vibe to it, and is an alright track. “Arkenstone” is more in the vein of power metal and has a nice balance of vocal responsibility between Željko and Despot, which I think makes the song work all the better.

“Where the Battle Rages On” leans more to black metal, but also seems to incorporate some elements from doom metal, even if subtly. “Twilight of the Gods” is an alright track on its own, but is nothing like the track that follows. “The Days of Final Frost” sees Numenor go into Death metal territory, a place where they really haven’t been before.

Honestly, I think that the death metal elements in this song work more with Despot’s vocal style. It gives the song a sort of blackened death metal vibe to it. I think it’s one of the better tracks on the album. The album ends with “The Last of Wizards”, which compared to the previous track is a bit tamer. It relies on piano music more and is overall a bit more melodic and spectral. It may not be the best track on the album, but what I think it does best is blend the classical elements with metal. It’s almost like another “Hall of the Mountain King”, but there is a bit more balance between the genres. Overall, the album is pretty good. Not every song lands, but the songs that do are really well done and worth the listen. 

Conclusion

And that so far is everything Númenor has done. The band has started to make a name for itself in the scene. With four albums under their belt, they have established themselves as a creative force in metal. The fact that Númenor has gotten to work with Hansi Kursch is proof to me that they are doing something correctly. I’m interested to see where they go from here.

I wonder if they will try to experiment more with other genres in metal, such as folk metal, which I think would be awesome for them to try and pull off. It may be a bit hard to find their releases depending on where you are, but if you see them, I recommend you get a copy. Hopefully, Númenor will be able to go on tour soon. Thank you for hanging on until the end, and I hope to see you next time!