Riddle Of Steel is the upcoming debut album from Sons Of Crom and it’s a wonderfully dark and mysterious affair that makes for a rather engaging listen.
Opener Myrkrarfar is a gripping start, with an intriguing opening that leads into an all-round fuller sound that sticks with you throughout the track, and it leads well into second track Master Of Shadows, which is perhaps one of the strongest tracks of the album. Everything about it flows so majestically and the instrumentation is something to behold; featuring soft acoustic sections, chunky heavy sections and fantastically showy solos.
Cimmerian Dance is a particular highlight, a mini-epic that keeps the momentum of the album going and gets your foot tapping. It’s got a slight black metal feel to it in parts as well as the general folkiness, which is great, and it’s a track you’ll keep wanting to revisit.
However, there is a slight issue with the album, which is the vocals. There’s something about them that doesn’t quite slot into the album, as they lack power and meat, so it means that the album doesn’t quite perhaps pack the punch it’s capable of.
As a whole, Riddle Of Steel is a great little release and although the vocals do let it down a bit, it’s still worth checking out because it’s a well-constructed and engaging album that highlights just how talented this band is musically.
7/10
