Debut album for this Greek band whose style of epic heavy metal makes them a natural No Remorse Records signing. They sing about all kinds of warriors and adventurers with heavy, propulsive riffs and emphatic shouts. The album is in your face with not a lot of depth or space, more like a thrash style of production, and this hurts Protean Shield’s epic metal, robbing it of atmosphere. This songwriting isn’t blowing me away, either, though I do like the closer, "Dance at the End of Time". It has some emotional ebb and flow which makes me want to listen to it again once it is over. Otherwise, Protean Shield do what they do in a workman-like fashion, evoking Manowar ("Steel of Ages"), Running Wild ("47 Ronin") and bands like that but not producing anything approaching their best stuff. A solid but unspectacular debut for Protean Shield.