What a great album. This, along with Burzum's Filosofem marked my return to full-time heavy metal fandom. It may have a few faults, but it's one of the best heavy metal records of the 90's, and a must-have to metal fans in general and Iron Maiden fans in particular.
I call out Iron Maiden fans in particular because frankly, this lp surpasses most Maiden's 90's era releases and is so obviously an influence on this band. But don't get me wrong, this isn't NWOBHM. It's not Black Metal either. It borrows a little from both.
The album's (and the band's) biggest fault are the vocals. Generally I like most extreme metal vocal styles, but often when listening to this I picture the vocals are being performed by my aunt's miniature schnauzer.
Still, the twin guitars on Heaven Torn Asunder and A Gothic Romance really shred and this is one of those rare albums that doesn't have any weak tracks. Highly recommended.
**** out of 5.
