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This one has a lot of history to it, as Overlorde have been such an elusive band for such a long time they almost amount to a kind of cryptid. Originally formed in the storied '80s, they didn't manage a full-length until the release of Return of the Snow Giant in 2004, and then they were gone, vanished into the ether for almost two more decades. Now band leader and guitarist Mark Edwards has put together a new lineup and, at last, a follow-up.

Now, I thought Return of the Snow Giant was a good album, but I didn't worship it like some people did, and a lot of the same strengths and flaws have followed the band to this one. Edwards is a great player, and he has a distinct riff style that makes these pounding workouts in US-Metal crunch. The production is pretty good—not too polished, not too rough. I would like if the guitar sound had more punch, but I almost always do. Edwards' songwriting style is involved rather than anthemic, and these tunes are enjoyable but complex, making it harder for them to stick in your mind afterward.

To replace the departed Bobby Lucas, the band has recruited Zandelle singer George Tsalikis, who has always been a solid singer, if not a great one. Some have complained about his performance here, but I think the weaknesses are compositional and technical rather than with his actual singing. As with the last album, the vocal melodies are not first-rate, and tend to come across as muddled and overly complicated. The recording oddly buries Tsalikis in the mix, and he is often multitracked to hell and back, so it is hard to really hear him clearly. The backing vocals are, sadly, not tracked very well, and so when they stack up it is kind of a mess. I don't find the vocals really distract me that much from the music at hand, but they could have been done a lot better.

I wanted this to be a real crusher of an album, but once again Overlorde produce a solid work that definitely could have been better. I feel like this band could build momentum and gel stronger songwriting if they would, you know, produce an album more often than every 20 years, but I don't know. If you love traditional US Metal like Helstar, Attacker, or Zandelle, them this is a band to watch for.