Review by Adam M on April 6, 2012.

A nicely atmospheric work that has progressive tendencies is demonstrated by "The Devil’s Resolve". Lots of keyboards other instrumentation recalls the likes of Amorphis in particular. There is a very similar folky feel on this album to what was shown on the "Elegy" release of that band and this "The Devil’s Resolve" nearly reaches that level of greatness.

A stunning production job and an enthusiastic approach to song-writing make "The Devil’s Resolve" a standout release for the band. There’s a progressive nature to the songs that sometimes invokes feeling of the classic prog rock greats from the seventies, but most often brings up feelings of recent atmospheric giants like the aforementioned Amorphis as well as Opeth. The vocals invoke those of the lead singer of Amorphis as does some of the instrumentation. However, there are a few moments that recall the likes of Opeth. The highlight of this release is the track 'As It Is Written' which goes through a number of momentum shifts and a long running length, but has a build up towards the end that is particularly interesting. There many highlights to be found here, however and a great passion towards the musical impact of each track.

In the future, I hope the band continues to push their sound into interesting new directions and try to move their sound slightly further away from the realm of Amorphis. There are probably very promising things for the band. I’m greatly impressed with this album, however and it has a slight edge over the Sigh’s "In Somniphobia" as my favourite of 2012 thus far. "The Devil’s Resolve" comes highly recommended.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 9.5
Production: 9.5
Originality: 8
Overall: 9

Rating 9 out of 10