Review by Adam M on May 8, 2011.

Suidakra is a band that performs Melodic Death Metal that has an undeniable Folk influences. The two styles of music are combined in almost perfect unison and in a fashion that is seamless. Expect a lot of acoustic guitars and boisterous clean vocals to be melded with the usual recipe for Melodic Death Metal. The use of these types of extra elements is partially what separates them from the many clone bands that plague Melodic Death Metal, but make no mistake there isn’t anything extraordinary to be found here either.

The songs are crafted in a rollicking fashion, but the guitar-work doesn’t go in enough interesting directions to make this truly captivating. There’s a nice break around tracks four and five that throws in some stripped down, vocally-carried songs and that really helps prevent the album from dragging down with similarity as well. But despite enjoyable songs, there is still this feeling that it all starts to feel a bit the same after a while. One of the things I applaud with this band is that they’re able to make very melodic songs that have a deeper impact than what can be often found in the Melodic Death Metal genre. Comparing them to other bands of the style is unfair because the sound comes together in a way that is unique, though it certainly has its influences.

The entire affair maintains a reasonably high quality with 'Stone Of The Seven Suns' being a highlight. As a Melodic Death Metal effort, "Book Of Dowth" is a solid effort and I guarantee you’ll like it even more than I did if you’re a big fan of the genre. There’s plenty of quality song-writing, variety and melodic moments to become enamoured with on the album.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7.5
Atmosphere: 7.5
Production: 8.5
Originality: 7
Overall: 7.5

Rating: 7.6 out of 10