This is a surprise, as I had never heard of this band. Arð is a one-man band from the UK with lyrics focused on Northumbrian history and myth, and this is his second album of impressive Epic Doom Metal. There is nothing Sabbathy about this, being much more akin to Euro sounds like Funeral or even Fallen—the deep-voiced choral vocals and the classical organ sounds backing up the beautiful Doom riffing make for a magisterial, organic sound that really evokes a Dark Ages atmosphere. Nothing about this sounds amateurish, and the whole is an epic, mature, and serious sound that demands serious attention. A masterful album.