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Well, what's going on with White Skull? I wondered to myself. This band has been in a long downward slide for many years, beginning with the loss of longtime singer Federica and a pair of mediocre to bad albums culminating in the much-reviled The XIIIth Skull some years back. Well, it seems they put out this album last year and no one noticed. The Ring Of The Ancients is not great, but it's a step up from their last one at least.

White Skull have a new singer again, and this one is a pretty hot chick, but I honestly don't know if their new vocalist is the one who sang on this album, as this sounds like a guy. The usual rough-and-ready style, certainly, but if this was sung by a chick, I'll eat her. Anyway, the vocals are nothing special for this band, and neither is the music, unfortunately. This is better than their last disc, but not really good either. They have ditched the overuse of keys, which marred The Dark Age grievously and is definitely a step in the right direction. This is a heavier, guitar-driven album, but the songs are not great. Too much of the music on here is just uninspired, and despite being competently done, does not have the spark and liveliness that used to mark this band. The leads are deficient, and the production is dull and curiously flat.

It's pretty sad having to hear a band that used to be good slog joylessly through this album. I don't hate The Ring Of The Ancients, but it leaves no taste after it's over. It is simply blah. I keep hoping this band will get it together and produce another killer album, but after this long, I'm not going to hold my breath.