If metal is your thing, then 'The Dawn Of Reckoning' is an album that you can buy with confidence.

Eternal Reign’s last album ‘Forbidden Path’ was a classy slice of heavy metal that whilst not breaking any barriers down still had it’s moments, and now almost five years after that release the band are back with a brand new offering. ‘The Dawn Of Reckoning’ isn’t, shall we say, a million miles away from ‘FP’ and I’m not sure if that is a good or bad thing. I really liked the last album you see, but that was five years ago and ‘TDOR’ hasn’t really seen the band change or evolve in any way, as this album is almost a straight carry on from the last one. Maybe if there had been less time between the releases that would have been fine, but personally I would have liked to see the band grow a little more in their overall sound. Still, making an album that is as good as your last one is no bad thing in itself and all that said ‘TDOR’ still is a very good heavy metal album, blessed with fine musicianship, good songs and a sharp production.

Check out ‘Devil And Daughter’, ‘Emptiness Devours’, ‘The Beast Within’ and ‘Shadows Of The Past’, songs that prove that playing metal is what Eternal Reign are best at. I’m probably being overly picky in saying that they haven’t come far enough in the last five years. So what I will say is that if metal is your thing then ‘The Dawn Of Reckoning’ is an album that you can buy with confidence.

Ian Johnson