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This takes me back. I reviewed Battlesword's debut Failing in Triumph on a blind purchase back in 2003 – thirteen motherfucking years ago – and then the band seemed to drop off the face of the earth. I liked their debut, but eh, so many bands just vanish after one album or EP. What can you do? I am glad to see that this outfit has kept their shit together this long, and that the long wait seems to have paid off in a really first-class album.

Battlesword are still all about crunchy, melodic Death Metal very much in the general vein of Amon Amarth, but they still retain a degree of individuality in their riffs and leads that is distinctive, and their leadwork is sharper and has a bit more guitar hero flair to it. This is far less pugilistic than Amon Amarth usually are, though it does not lack at all for heaviness and aggression. Banners of Destruction is a fine comeback from a band no one expected to hear from again.