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Well, well, well. Look who we have here. The same band that went from revered to left for dead after their rushed and uninspired album God's Equation left the metal world with raised eyebrows. Before going on, the days of Pagan's Mind's blistering prog/power sound are gone. I can hypothesize that the band simply ran out of gas for such complicated, massive, and all-encompassing music. Such things happen to many bands, but Pagan's Mind have thwarted the oh so common creative doldrums with a smartly accessible sound, yet still slightly proggy sound.

If you still want Pagan's Mind to make albums like Celestial Entrance and Enigmatic: Calling, then stop reading. Deal with it. Pagan's Mind have a new sound. It's simpler, for sure, but it's still good: catchy, more straightforward power metal. The boys can't resist getting a bit deeper, and they still have the occasional spacey instrumental section, which sometimes doesn't quite mesh with such an immediately accessible style. But still, Nils K. Rue's voice can go a very long way, and his ethereal cries are the crux of Heavenly Ecstasy, preventing it from becoming too poppy and irritatingly listenable. Rue knows how to effect his voice potently, bringing an added layer of mysticism to the songs, but at times going too far with the effects, and becoming overwhelming.

These are simply laid out power metal songs carried by Rue‘s distinctive voice. They're made for the unpretentious power metal fan, one who can appreciate how a band changes over time, even if it involves less complicated songwriting. Get off your high horse and sing along. Your superciliousness won't help you here. Pagan's Mind are back.