A bewitching imagining of black metal lore set in the old American west. You can positively inhale the aura of despair and thick smoke that this record evokes. Grim cinematic atmosphere transmogrified into music.
Like a sonic flogging dripping in black paint. Record has tremendous range: from black 'n roll pummeling on 'With Fury & Allegiance,' to the string arrangements and shiver-inducing crescendo of 'Ethereal Fire.'
A thorough repudiation of any claim that metal music is uniformly angry / negative. Bombastic synth prog with death growls, riffs, and clean flourishes. This record always makes me smile.
