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Despite a lot of praise, I wasn't sold on Crimfall's debut a couple of years back, and I'm even less enamored with them now that they've followed it up with a supremely lackluster counterpart. Hands down, the Finnish are one of the most reliable exporters of quality metal, especially in the melodic school, but Crimfall are everything that's wrong with this genre pushed to a new extreme. Condensed to death under a production so loud and boisterous it wears its release date on its sleeve, The Writ Of Sword stumbles like a drunk through various genres, brushing symphonic keys over it all to keep the genre intact. Mallcore guitars meet extreme growls, lofty female sopranos fight against lavish double kicks, and amongst this garbage heap are some genuinely interesting passages, a number of which could pass for Moonsorrow or early Nightwish moments. Trying to make it through to these sections is the challenge.

Considering how popular the whole Folk Metal movement has become, it seems bizarre that Crimfall are marketing themselves to the younger listener with a decidedly more modern take, but for those seeking accessibility in this style you should go for Dalriada, Kivimetsan Druidi, or even Turisas. At least those guys can string an album together.