Well, after the disappointment of Heathen Warrior it is good to see Stormwarrior getting back to the Germanic Power/Speed Metal they are good at. I thought Heading Northe was their best work, and it remains a favorite of mine. This one is not that good, but it's a nice return to form.
The biggest problem last time out was they seemed to have throttled way back on the speed and tried to make a more Bathory-esque album, but the riffs just weren't there. This time, Stormwarrior have put the pedal to the metal again and produced some fine, catchy slices of destruction with tracks like "Sacred Blade" and album high point "Steel Crusader". This does not hit the full-throttle joys of songs like "Heading Northe", but it's a solid album and a welcome return to the kind of thing this band is good at.
