Simply put, this album kicks ass. It’s just really good blackened tinged rock. The vocals shift from black metal gargles to clean soaring wings of eagles type smoothness. For some reason Josh Homme comes to mind. There are so many different elements going on here and they’re effortlessly put together. Take for example the track “Roots Of The Mountain”; you’re blasted with symphonic blackness and then suddenly it kicks into this power metal opus of a chorus and this slow build up somehow even more epic goodness. The guitar work on this album is almost perfect. Big production at parts, grimey when it needs to be and always filled with terrific melodies. I always have the lowest of expectations with most things coming from Nuclear Blast but this album really surprised me. Catchy riffs and constant changes is the name of the game here. This is a rock record you’ll definitely want to take a look at. Make sure you check ‘em out when hit the city this February. (Nuclear Blast, nuclearblastusa.com) James Korba