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You can't help but a chuckle at the album cover for The Final Journey. I mean come on, just look at it, it's bloody hilarious; Black Messiah, you win the award for best album cover this year, hands down. Now, erm, oh yes Black Messiah are a black/folk/Viking metal band, and outside a couple of great acts I normally loathe this kind of stuff. They just slap all these ridiculous folk instruments on top of mediocre riffs, and people lap it up like it's the best shit ever.

Black Messiah are fortunate in the sense that they actually wield some good riffs, and are a damn sight cooler than some of the bands doing this sound. However it's nothing acts such as Ensiferum have done better, and this is very by the book. Clicky drums, power metal/neoclassical trem riffs, a boat load of annoying violins and fiddles and of course six men who look like they've just stepped out from a Viking re-enactment. Black Messiah really doesn't bring anything new to the table, and at just over 55 minutes I've found it a bit much to stomach.

"Windloni" is probably the best track, with some really good riffs and melodies, although it takes far too long to get going, in fact it feels like they just merged the intro and the first track together. There are some cool parts in "Feld der Ehre" as well. Overall whilst there are some good parts here and there, I'm not completely sold, if you like this sort of thing then I'm sure you'll no doubt find something to love here. The Final Journey is quite a light release and those expecting something of the quality of Moonsorrow will be disappointed. Black Messiah are certainly one of the more power metal-rooted acts of this genre, and this is one for fans of acts such as Bifröst, Heathen Foray, or Equilibrium.