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The Fifth Sun take their name from a tribal legend of the Mayans, Incas and others of the time that believed that “the world has been created and destroyed four previous times. We are currently residing in the fifth and final age, basking in the light of The Fifth Sun.”

The way that The Moment of Truth develops itself through to the finale seems to play out in the manner of this prophesized rise, fall and ultimate destruction of our world.

I had always been under the impression that I was in for nine tracks of melodic death metal, but my expectations were shattered by the sheer magnitude of the crushing traditional Swedish death metal riffs and often epic vocals (think somewhere between Mikael Akerfeldt and Mikael Stanne of Dark Tranquillity) bellowed forth by lead man Bryan Horn. Melody isn’t completely absent, though even at it’s lightest The Moment of Truth is laden with grit and grime, never letting us forget that this world is on the brink of an unavoidable doom.

The album is a mid-paced, guitar driven effort at its core with elements such as clean vocals, acoustics, classic guitar soloing and some much needed emphasis on the drumming gradually come into play to create a well-rounded sound.

The final track Mothra is what you would expect in listening to the whole album, just waiting for the building aggression to explode. It’s a 1:47 of explosive nastiness that certainly left me satisfied with the overall experience contained within The Moment of Truth.

The Fifth Sun oozes with the potential for great success. When they record again I would love to hear them incorporate some tribal instruments and sounds to give them an exotic flavour consistent with the philosophical basis of the band.