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Looking back at my reviews of the last two albums from Mors Principium Est there was a slight increase in score from the 3.5/5 for ...And Death Said Live to the 3.75/5 for Dawn of the 5th Era. I've wanted these Finns to really step up the songwriting and with their 2017 release, Embers of a Dying World, they've skipped the step and taken a huge leap forward. I'm not a big fan of Death Metal in general but I know good Metal when I hear it and Embers of a Dying World is loaded with good Metal from start to finish. It's not often a band so successfully combines the grandeur and pomp of Power Metal with the crushing heaviness and menace of thrashy Death Metal. You've got everything here from the wicked riffs of "Reclaim the Sun" to the "Carmina Burana"-style choruses of "Into the Dark," from dueling raspy and throaty Death vocals on "The Colours of the Cosmos" to the beautiful piano and string arrangement of "The Ghost." The songwriting is infectious and Embers of a Dying World demands repeated listens. There is not one weak track to be found.

If you couldn't tell, I'm impressed. I don't care what genre of Metal you like; Embers of a Dying World is an album you need to check out. It is one of those rare releases that make labels irrelevant.