Review by Adam M on September 6, 2025.

This is a classic album that highly contributed to the rise of melodic death metal with its nice combination of aggression and melody. There is a rawer feeling than some of their most recent album and it makes the album seem authentic. Still, the atmosphere is one of a classic nature in the genre and very appealing.

The musicianship is solid with rollicking guitars and drums and of course the singing of Stanne that has the right effect to create a rather massive sound. There isn’t quite the streamlined feeling of albums like Fiction and Character, but there is still a very well thought out and created sound.

The flaw to the album lies in how it is not a stunner like Slaughter of the Soul, but rather a bit more of a distinct album in the band’s discography. One sometimes wishes there was a more powerful nature to the tunes, but songs such as “Lethe” still manage to have a great impact on the listener.

All in all, this is a very solid album with the right balance of catchiness and aggression to make an impact and definitely one of the highlights of the genre. It is quite classical in nature and one of the stronger albums in melodic death metal, despite being overtaken.by the likes of Omnium Gatherum and Insomnium in recent times. Definitely check It out, if you are a fan of the genre.

Rating: 7.6/10