Review by Greg on March 23, 2026.

After the absolute home run that was Spirit Invictus, Greece's own Triumpher might have already secured their place in the pantheon of modern epic heavy metal. Incredibly enough, exactly three mere years after their debut Storming The Walls hit the shelves, these five ancient warriors are already at their third full-length. Composing such marvellous stuff and doing so while maintaining this level as well definitely needs to be hailed. Naturally, a part of me can't help but fear the day when such a rapid-fire release pace leads to the band churning out half-assed slop. So far, it hasn't happened – quite the opposite. What about this new Piercing The Heart Of The World, then?

After a quick peek at the tracklist, noting that the album runs a good five minutes longer than its predecessor, with the same number of tracks, it would be easy to expect an even partial return to Storming The Walls' modus operandi, which isn't far from the truth. The songs are noticeably more spacious and slow-burning than riff-driven, with symphonics and choirs being used more extensively. Even the vocal hooks aren't as easy to assimilate when compared to its predecessor (or 'The Thunderer', for that matter). It's no wonder that few were the tracks that initially stuck with me: opener and first teaser 'Black Blood', a grandiose, epic midtempo, showcasing Triumpher's more power-influenced side; 'Erinyes', simply for being the closest to a blackened thrash song they've ever composed, obviously filtered through their typical heroic lens; 'Ithaca (Return Of The Eternal King)' as the slower, vocal-centered number, although I wasn't sure whether for good reasons or not.

Oh, and that fierce hoplite with a microphone in hand, otherwise known as the band's vocalist, Mars Triumph, is in top form as always. He's still channelling the fierceness and controlled abandon of prime Eric Adams, and he's one of the absolute best at that in the business. To mention one highlight among many, I can't get enough of how well he bellows that 'Hail! The Wrath Of The Destroyer!' in the eponymous speeder, skyrocketing a rather par-for-the-course refrain to empowering levels. I'll make one small remark and say that the lower register he keeps in the first part of the aforementioned 'Ithaca' isn't as commanding as I'd have hoped from him, but it's a very minor blemish.

Listen after listen, the layers of Piercing The Heart Of The World began to unravel. 'The Mountain Throne' stands as the song that grew on me the most, handled masterfully by Triumph (not that the other songs aren't, mind you), who flexes through the muscular prechorus and the slower refrain, before meeting a brutal acceleration halfway through the song – Triumph once again gloriously reclaiming the spotlight in the incredible ending. Just listen for yourself. Even better, the album doesn't start wandering in its second half, as the debut did at times. There are still some moments where the guys weren't at their most inspired, like the somewhat tedious prechorus of 'The Flaming Sword' or the slightly puzzling calmer interlude 'Vaults Of Immortals', which comes after an already largely balladic episode, not helping the overall momentum. Nevertheless, most of it eventually won me over. A clear example is closer 'Naus Apidalia', their longest song to date: a suite based on Ulysses' mythical journey, adorned by the best lead guitar work I've heard from axemen Marios and Christopher so far, and featuring an emotional ode to Poseidon halfway through, written in ancient Hellenic. I also appreciated them circling back to the chorus at the end, which is something many songs attempting this route usually overlook, for one reason or another.

All in all, Triumpher have delivered a slightly different beast, although at the expense of somewhat discarding what elevated Spirit Invictus as one of my top 2024 albums. Obviously, none of this is meant to imply that Piercing The Heart Of The World is a total dud. Far from it – it will need just a couple more listens, but it sure is rewarding. After all, Triumpher have always guaranteed material of the highest quality so far, and I'm glad to announce their streak is still ongoing. Pick your own favourite, but make sure not to dismiss the others.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10