(Low quality) samples up here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Blessed-Curse-After-Muse/dp/B00R8Z906K

Sounds like it might be an improvement after Mysterium.

Seems so. I also felt that Mysterium was not exactly up to par (by Manilla Road standards) and the samples seem to hint (although there wasn't really much to go on) that it's going to be better than Mysterium.

Still it is Manilla Road, the band with the most consistent discography ever and Mysterium still had a lot of enjoyable material on it, so I'm quite confident that it will be at the very least "very good" (by absolute standard).

Holy shit, this album kicks some major gluteus maximus . Classic Manilla Road material right here. The Muses Kiss is one killer epic tune.

The biggest surprise of the year 'till now.

Shit, another one? When did this happen?

Great album! Best album since Gates Of Fire, by far!

Have been reticent about checking this out but the comments give me a glimmer of hope.

Finally got round to checking this out before the end of the year. Really wish I hadn't bothered. I think it may be even flatter than the previous album: meandering tuneless dirges and acoustic waffle. This is the sound of a band running on fumes and little else. Thank god for the new Magister Templi this year.

When I start to listen this one, I didn't know, well I thought wtf this is shit, later it turned out damn masterpiece , good one for old timers, much better as other HM bands from 70's 80's what put out albums today ---- and I hardly remember other albums, so I cant judge whole bunch of albums in total, but judging this, its good ... MSA

After five years (five years, already!?) I'm returning to this semi-masterpiece of an album. Clocking almost 100 minutes, the album is pretty long to say the least. Therefore, expectedly, there is some skippable songs; mainly the second disc is negligible after the initial listen -- I'm enjoying "In Search Of The Lost Chord" and "Reach", though -- and from the first disc "Luciferia's Light" and "Sword Of Hate" are on the filler side of songs.

When it comes to good material, I'm not even over exaggerating when I write that "Truth In The Ash", "Falling" and "The Muses Kiss" are some of the best Manillla Road songs. The title track is also good, an a half-epic (meaning it should be twice as long!) and pure kick ass heavy metal -- I like how the drums change in every chorus. "The Dead Still Speak" is another solid less epic track.

I'm re-adjusting the rating from 9 to 8 because, well the length kind of works against the album's good. It would be hard to recommend the whole album, but the strong parts are exactly what Manilla Road has been about since the early days. Personally I'd recommend the first disc as -- I'd say -- the best latter-day Manilla Road album.

Tomes of Clay is a fantastic song, specially that ending