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God damn it! Grand Magus KILLED my stereo!! If Grand Magus were an item of clothing, they'd be a patch covered denim jacket with leather spiked cuffs. Yes ladies and gents, this is proper METAL from the days of tight jeans with leather waistcoats. You don't just hear this album, you feel it, rattling your ribcage and coursing through your veins – pure wholesome exhilaration.

Opener 'Kingslayer' made me want to don battle armour and head for the frontlines with its invigorating fresh mixture of old school Maiden & Priest-isms, molded deep into a modern Cathedral / Candlemass cast, and it nearly makes me drown in drool at the prospect of what this band could feasibly come up with next! You know, you've only got to check out the promotional photo of the band to know that they're as metal as it gets – they obviously live, breath and eat metal (well not literally, that'd be quite painful) and that comes across in bounds on this colossal release. Each member has really honed their metal vigor and vibe into this release, pouring their heart and souls into every note, beat and nuance of the album's entirety.

So, in summary while not being quite as doomy as the bands earlier efforts, we have the following elements to take into consideration: -

The vocals? Amazingly powerful and emotion filled, raw and heartfelt.
The guitars? Low, pulverizingly melodic and head smashingly pleasurable.
The bass? Rumbling, rattling and tooth-looseningly malevolent.
The drums? Solid, pounding and as crisp as a popadom.

The outcome? True metal genius. So what are you waiting for? Seriously? Go hunt it down.