It's been nearly eight years since we last had a Battleroar album, that being 2018's Codex Epicus, and other than founding guitarist Kostas Tzortzis, no one that played on that record is on 2026's Petrichor. They still play epic heavy metal with a nice, crunchy guitar sound and some solid riffs and new singer Michalis Karasoulis has a good voice, but I'm not sold on his delivery. He is more emotive and less powerful than I prefer for this style of metal. There is a doom element to some of the songs, which, at times, works better ("Atē, Hybris, Nemesis," which has a nice build) than others ("Legacy of Suffering [Flagellants]", which is dull all the way through). I like the violin, courtesy of Alex Papadiamantis, as it lends uniqueness to the proceedings. Overall, I'd say the songwriting is good, but there are no standout tracks, so the final product lands on the generic side. Maybe the new lineup needs another album before they find their footing, but at the end of the day, Battleroar have produced better albums than Petrichor.
