Adventure Two is, logically, the second album from Bloomington, Indiana's Throne of Iron, an epic heavy metal band that bases their lyrics around fantasy and battle themes, with some direct Dungeons & Dragons imagery. I didn't much like their debut album with its many flaws and questionable decisions (a spoken word joke on an epic metal album?), but Adventure Two is more direct and focused, getting down to the business of sharp, heavy riffing, thumping bass and drums and fantastical lyrics. The singer uses his passable voice much more effectively this time with vocal lines that allow him to stick within his comfort zone and the backing vocals are a plus. "Upon a Bloody Shore" has a wonderful hook in the chorus that should have fans "whoa-oh-oh-oh-ing" immediately and the speedy riffing on "The Holy Fire of St. Djezzagh" and "Divine Smite" will run roughshod over your eardrums. Not every song is a winner, but Adventure Two is consistently better than what Throne of Iron gave us on Adventure One, so it represents a big step forward for the band. Fans of old school epic metal like Omen and Manilla Road and Dungeons & Dragons crossover bands like Gygax and Behölder should get a lot of mileage from Adventure Two.