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Portuguese Pagan metal with lyrics about Vikings and stuff is a little strange, but why not... I liked their 2010 album 'Horn Triskelion' and was curious whether or not they could even develop more on this new album. Let me start with the positive points. Again Gwydion has succeeded in writing a majority of good songs that will be liked by everyone, who is into bands like Turisas, Alestorm, Tyr, Finntroll, Wolfchant, Mithotyn and Korpiklaani. Once more the keyboards bring us nice folkish bagpipe atmospheres and there are several blackened aggressive pagan songs like "Endurance of the Mind", "Trail to a New Land", "Veteran" and "Fighting to the End". On the other hand there are also more epic power metal sounding tracks, but that's good for the variety.

Growling vocals are varied with spoken ones and harmonic clean ones. Besides the choir singing there even is a female choir part and together with the folk elements it sounds very bombastic. What I miss on this album is a face of their own, or should I say originality? Gwydion starts to sound a bit like the umpteenth pagan folk metal act and then especially because they try to be humorous. Some songs with misplaced lyrics about drinking parties and stuff, push themselves in a position in which I don't know if I can take them seriously anymore. Just let Alestorm and that type of bands make the drinking songs, I don't think Gwydion needs that. The last point I want to mention is the drums. To me it sounds a bit too clinical/mechanical and static, like if they were done by a machine instead of a real drummer, but that's the progress in digital production methods I guess.

Final conclusion is that every Pagan metallist will like this album, but there is nothing new being served here.

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