The sound of the songs is changing a bit, too. ?Stand Your Ground? is Manilla Road bouncing off the redline of their core sound. Shelton and Hellroadie harmonize in different octaves, and that's a new trick. Mysterium then slams on the brakes with ?The Battle of Bonchester Bridge.? The band is known for their mid tempo songs and the resulting epic feel. ?Bonchester Bridge,? however, is a power ballad. And?it works.

Lyrically, ?Do What Thou Will? falls into the aged trope of independence and following one's desires. Usually that portends the youthful exuberance and rebellion of 80s metal's various genres or the ?fuck you? attitude of extreme metal sans real life consequences of that mentality. Why then is the song's main riff so slithery and sinister, and why does the song's midsection constrict and burn? It sounds like the Devil delivering the message to Faust, not a glam metaller trying to drop a 16 year old's Jordaches without a condom in hand. Do what thou will is a double-edged sword of a phrase, and ?Do What Thou Will? mirrors that. It's an appropriate tone for Manilla Road. Shelton's early lyrics displayed Christian views more often than is prudent to mention in polite company.

?Do What Thou Will? doesn't croon, but ?The Fountain? does, literally. Here's where the strange peaks: it's a full on ballad, and it's uplifting, and positive, and affirmative, and it's uncomfortably earnest. And it mostly works too, but it feels out of place. It feels like a true B-side in an era where such things are anachronistic, but hey, Manilla Road. Shelton's earned the right to sing it after over two decades of active touring and recording for tens hundreds a few thousand fans.

The title track ends the record in true Manilla Road fashion: long, epic, mid tempo, grand. There are some Middle Eastern sounding melodies. With a few more, it would fit on Spiral Castle.

Lead single ?The Grey God Rises? is vintage Manilla Road, although on the faster and more aggressive side, Out of the Abyss excluded. The other songs are less successful. The band has a different drummer this time out, and his style doesn't incorporate the busy footwork, short fills, and accents that made Playground so interesting. The drumming is very good, but I can't help wondering if the previous guy could've spiced things up. Hellroadie's still a good singer, but Shelton's even better than on Playground. He even unleashes a credible King Diamond wail at one point. (By Invisible Oranges Editor)