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A promising debut from this German band, who have the right idea but are not quite on the money yet. The sound here is classic '80s, and is interesting for being much more a US sound than Euro, as this reminds me a lot of bands like Medieval Steel and Warlord. Some of the riffs and leads here are just gold, like the rocking vibe of "Ablaze at Midnight" or the pure Mercyful Fate worship of "The Tomb of Khentika Ikheki," but not all the songs are as memorable as that, and while they have good parts and a good recording job, they don't come together as well as they could. Singer Klay Mensana is a mixed blessing, as he has a lot of enthusiasm and a good upper range, but he has trouble staying on key, and sometimes when his vocals are too out front it is wince-worthy when he wanders off the note. Most of the album mixes him in a more echoey, distant way, and that covers up his flaws better. I'm going to keep an eye on this band, as they could crank out a real monster next time, because they have all the tools.