I think we were all hoping for a worthy follow-up to Iron Will that leaned harder on the Viking/Bathory elements of that album, but after this long it's apparent that was never what the band wanted to do, and they're not going to start now. Grand Magus could have gotten heavier and darker, but they have kept to a more commercial sound and approach that has more to do with bands like Monster Magnet or The Cult than anything else. That's not to say they don't write good songs or play good riffs, because they absolutely do, but I always want them to go harder. This is one of the better albums in their late period, and if you like stuff like the aforementioned bands, or other stuff like Wolfmother or The Sword, then this is going to hit closer to what you want. I enjoy this album, but it exists in the shadow in my mind of what this band could have become.
