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I love Tarot, ever since Suffer Our Pleasures I've been digging into this band's back catalog with glee, discovering almost twenty years worth of their odd and heavy genius. So the release of a new Tarot album was the cause of much rejoicing at chez Terrible. I ordered it straight from the label, damned exchange rate! But it was well worth it. I was hoping this would be as awesome as the last one, and it sometimes is, but it does not quite live up to its predecessor in every way.

When Tarot are kicking, there is no one better. The opening riff of the title track will just own you, and I wish the song had a better chorus to match it, but it's a bit obvious. There are several tracks like this on here – great riffs, an absolutely stellar production job, great performances, but songwriting that just is not of the first rank. "Traitor", "Messenger Of Gods", "Bleeding Dust" – these are good songs, but they are not really inspired. Fortunately, when this album hits square on, it frigging destroys. Try on the massive "Ashes To The Stars", the powerful ballad "Tides", and the almighty, bellowing, new-asshole-ripping "Howl!". And yes, that exclamation point needs to be there.

Tarot albums are often inconsistent, with a lot of good tunes, a few duds, and then 3 or 4 that hit like 100,000 volts right through your skull. This album is not as consistent as Suffer Our Pleasures was, but Tarot at their best beats just about anything else out there. Get this one.