I felt like this album was a step in the right direction for me, personally. It definitely feels more like the first 3 albums combined a bit with thrash (They Will Return is personally my favorite album, as I feel it exemplifies Kalmah the best--awesome, epic catchy melodies with heavy ass thrash riffs and blast beats and mind-melting solos, while still maintaining an air of emotion and depth), but I don't think it was as good as 12 Gauge, which I actually really liked. For me, my least favorite album is FTR, just because it only has 2 songs that I actually like (the cover song and Wings of Blackening, which I happen to think is a badass, really under-appreciated song), but despite the fact that 12 Gauge was really thrashy and far less melodic (and I normally don't care so much for thrash, especially when compared to melodies and such) there were a lot of really epic, awesome, catchy songs that had the high energy and catchiness that I love Kalmah for. Songs like One of Fail, Hook the Monster, and a few others are really good.
For me, this album is definitely more to my liking as a whole than the last two were--but even though I like the style more than I do on 12 Gauge, I don't like as many songs as much as I did on 12 Gauge. The only two tracks on this song that I really love are Seventh Swamphony and Black Marten's Trace. I ESPECIALLY love the latter...really great stuff. But other than that I wasn't completely blown away. I liked Pikemaster enough...I like bits of Wolves on the Throne (the intro is by far the best part, phenomenally epic and beautiful melody) and The Trapper is probably one of my favorite slower Kalmah songs (not as much as Moon of my Nights, which actually might secretly be my favorite Kalmah song
) but it's still catchy and epic and all of that stuff. Songs like Deadfall and Windlake Tale are some of the worst Kalmah songs that I've ever heard--especially Windlake Tale. Deadfall sounds like it belongs on a new CoB album (I know that sounds harsh, but I thought it was really dry, boring and generic--just like new CoB) and Windlake Tale was also incredibly boring and generic sounding (although it wasn't as poppy sounding as Deadfall, but there are a few riffs in Deadfall that I really like, whereas Windlake Tale I think might be the 2nd worst Kalmah song that I've ever heard, right after Better Not To Tell).
Overally, IMO, I'd probably give it an 8/10. I would have given FTR a 7.5 or a 7.0/10 and 12 Gauge an 8 or an 8.5 (probably something like 8.2 or 8.3) /10. Great stuff, Kalmah, and I hope that in the future you guys continue this musical transition back to your melodic roots and come to New York soon! I'm getting sick of travelling up to Canada to see you guys live
