I can't help but love this album.

The song writing is top notch and so are most of the performances. The song structures are all pretty different and most sections don't repeat, so it feels like every step on this journey is new and fresh. Every song added a new dimension while expanding the whole which kept it very engaging. Although the overall sound stays consistent I honestly didn't know what to expect from each and every song at any moment because they kept on surprising me. The only song I thought I knew what to expect anything from was "The Dawn" because it's a rerecording of an old song, but it still kept me on my toes as almost everything is emphasized differently this time. The acoustic sections on this album are handled with such care that they are utterly hypnotic. I always feel like I'm walking in the calm wilderness while listening to the wonderful atmosphere the acoustics create. However, in the back of my mind I know that the aggressive metal side of things is always seemingly waiting to ambush me and send me careening down a mountainside at the drop of a hat. Both radical ends of the spectrum are fantastic on their own and, while sometimes it seems they are at odds, there are many times when both the folk and metal aspects blend seamlessly in perfect fusion in the most genuine way. This is folk metal done right, as it used to be. Pagan Reign has returned after a very long slumber but I would say they haven't missed a beat.

I didn't think of much in terms of criticisms. There are some pretty questionable vocals in certain sections. That being said, I spent such a short time being bothered by them that I could care less. While some of the vocals aren't the best, they are always performed with 110% effort. Besides, a really interesting and attention grabbing section is usually right around the next corner afterwards to make those moments pass without a second thought. Other than that I wanted just a little more out of the last two songs to give a slightly stronger ending.

This whole album is worth a listen if folk metal is your thing.