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Beyond the Grasp of Mortal Hands is the debut album for Canada's Arctos, a band that's been around for about five years. It's obvious when you hear Beyond the Grasp of Mortal Hands that they've used that time to tighten their playing and hone their songwriting skills as it is a more mature sounding release than you might expect from a debut. The basics of black metal are here; raspy shouts, blasting drums, etc. and there are quieter passages feature guitars with fewer effects and slower tempos that really bring in a nice, epic quality. I like that Arctos aren't afraid to weave in a few traditional metal riffs which gives the songs a more immediate feel. Another plus is that at 47+ minutes it isn't like the more typical epic black metal releases which tend to run over an hour. That can be great if you've got enough hooks and riffs but can suck if you don't. Arctos chose not to roll the dice and packed Beyond the Grasp of Mortal Hands with great music, leaving no filler hanging around. If you like Summoning, Caladan Brood and Finsterforst, Arctos is a band you need to check out.