By Zack Finkelstein

            I can't tell what the picture on the cover is, or what the roman numerals inside the sleeve mean, but this album is really good.  Ultra - raw doom from Finland with deep death grunts.   Don't get me wrong though, it's not slow like W...I...N...T...E...RRRR.  The plodding pace is helpful to the songs.  It was real easy to lie back and listen as the songs drifted by.  A good adjective to describe this CD is majestic, not in a faggy pseudo medieval kind of way, but in the sense that the music carries with it a sense of pride and honor.  Just when I was getting tired of doom metal this band brought me back.  The guitar plays a creeping dirge and the bass drum (which is strongly emphasized) adds a sort of restraint to the music and holds it together.  Slow introductions fade into silence and then burst back in an emotional explosion.  I got a little choked up.  My one petty complaint is that for songs of this length, usually around 10 minutes, more vocals would keep me more interested. 

(P.S. the keyboard player deserves a drink on the house.)