First of all, much respect goes out to Ironwood for putting the effort and money into such a well packaged CD; it's relieving to know bands still care about package design (anybody seen that Grateful Dead 'Live At The Great Pyramids' or those old Yes records with the Roger Dean paintings?). So we're off to a good start then! Now on to the album itself; opener 'Ond Ascending'-  a folky, semi acoustic number - soothes the listener before the aptly titled 'The Oncoming Storm', where the band prove their black metal credentials, before switching back to spiritual folky singing and such. The production is very clear for a debut recording, adding to the effort the band has gone to to release such an impressive first record. However this cannot save the album from being over-indulgent in places, and just far too long for the casual listener (70+ minutes?). Also, the vocals are just down-right silly in places, sounding like a mix of Gollum and a gregorian monk, you really must hear it to believe it. Musically, the band at least keep things varied enough for those who are into this sort of thing, ambitiously combining many styles of folk, synth-prog, black metal, and everything else they can get their hands on it seems. But again, the songs are far too long for a debut album that is supposed to capture the listener. This is exhausting to listen to, and a little focus wouldn't go amiss.

5