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This is the debut for Minnesota-based traditional metal band Noble Beast. I have heard some quite laudatory stuff about this band, so I was keen to check them out. I can never have too many fantasy-based traditional bands in my playlist.

The quality on this disc is a tad uneven, but this band definitely has the right idea. The riffs are absolutely first-rate, especially on cuts like "Behold the Face of Your Enemy" and album highlight "The Dragon Reborn". Vocal lines and choruses are a bit less consistent, with some being pretty great, while others are rather cliché and tired-sounding - like "Master of Depravity", or "We Burn", or the title track. Vocalist Rob Jalonen has a powerful voice with quite a bit of range, and he carries the proceedings with a lot of energy and charisma, even when he doesn't have the best stuff to work with. When he does, as on the aforementioned "The Dragon Reborn", he creates pretty much instant metal classic material.

So this album is pretty uneven, with some great guitar playing, some killer songs and a great production job, but too many unexciting vocal lines and singsongey choruses that owe way too much to Rhapsody-styled Euro-Power Metal. Still, a strong debut from a band with great potential.