This is Winterlong's fourth release for Lion, and they've gone into an entirely different direction. This band originally started out as a power metal outfit with strong neoclassical guitarwork, but with this release, guitarist Thorbjorn Englund is now playing nearly all the instruments (including vocals), and the soloing has been shoved well into the background, though there are strong hints of it on tracks like "On a Demon's Night" and "Badlands." I would describe the current sound on this album as being similar to Rob Halford's solo work and fellow Swedes Evergrey. Englund's upper range is into Udo/Halford territory with the track "My Nevermore," and I can't really describe what he does as singing, but at least I can make out the words and he's almost in tune with his material. There's nothing wrong with a change in direction but he should have gotten a better vocalist, and I would have liked more soloing. On the plus side, the album had the virtue of being heavy, the songs weren't too long, and there was enough of a variety of them that the album was rarely boring.
Track Listing
1. The Hunter
2. And So We Remember
3. Go To Hell
4. My Nevermore
5. Like Ships In The Night
6. Shutting Out The World
7. On A Demon's Night
8. The Touch Of Evil
9. Cleaning The Machine
10. Badlands
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