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Wrathblade are the new up-and-coming band from Greece, playing that breed of Epic True Metal the Greeks might as well have patented. I am always happy to see a new band like this in the spirit of other bands which I love that have come before.

If you ever wondered what it would sound like if Slough Feg's Mike Scalzi sang on Battleroar's debut album, then this would be your answer. There's more to this than that, obviously, but the comparison is inescapable. The music on offer here is rumbling, sprawling metal very much in the vein of Battleroar in their early days, right down to the production quality. Vocalist Nick Varsamis is not a dead ringer, but his style and tone will call Slough Feg to mind immediately.

This is quality metal all the way through, from the opening volley of "God-Defying Typhoeus", on through the epic rumblings of "Dolorous Shock", "Reins of Doom" - there's not really a slow spot or a weak track on this album. Here and there the arrangements get a bit baggy, and rather than truly epic the songs sometimes lapse into simply long, but that doesn't happen often. Every song contains hooky riffs and fist-pounding metal moments to treasure. An excellent debut.