Elvenking is a group of Italian folk and power metal. The band's musical style combines elements of classical music, heavy metal, hard rock, pop, and progressive music.
Elvenking was formed in October 1997 by two guitarist friends, Aydan and Jarpen, both sharing a passion for heavy metal and folk. Despite the rapid recruitment of Sargon as a bassist, the group faces many training problems that prevent it from developing. In March 1998, Damnagoras joined the group as a singer, followed by drummer Zender in September. It is only after the arrival of these two musicians that the group will find stability in its formation.
The main goal of Elvenking was to create a band mixing power metal and folk. After having performed several times, the band decided to record a demo, "To Oak Woods Bestowed" , during 2000. Damnagoras realized both the vocals and bass on this demo because Sargon had left the group before. However the demo meets a sufficient success to allow the group to sign on the German label AFM Records. Some time later, Gorlan, a friend of Aydan and Jarpen, joined the group as a bass player.
The first studio album, Heathenreel , is recorded at New Sin Audio Design by Luigi Stefanini, and mixed at Fredman Studios by Fredrik Nordstrom. The cover is done by Travis Smith and the logo of the group is devised by J.P. Fournier, who also produced covers for Avantasia and Immortal. The album is published on July 23, 2001 and is very well received by the specialized press. The tour that follows travels across Europe, as well as festivals alongside other very famous bands like Blind Guardian, Gamma Ray, Edguy and Virgin Steele.
