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I lost track of Darkestrah for a bit there, despite how well I liked The Great Silk Road back in 2008. They put out Manas back in 2013, which I missed, but here we have another fine full-length from this iconoclastic band. Darkestrah have a sound somewhere to the left of Moonsorrow, with the big, rolling compositions and the genuine folk instrumentation. They even use background sounds of chants and birdsong to evoke the wilderness that inspires their music. Because Darkestrah are from Kyrgyzstan originally, the feel and atmosphere of the steppes seeps through all their music. I don't think this one is as good as The Great Silk Road, but it is solid.