Like I said in the intro, Runic has Spanish roots and makes Viking metal. But does it really sound like the bands from the colder regions? Well I have to say Runic did a nice job. When I close my eyes I really can imagine the ancient battles and the journeys in the drakkars. The melodies vary from strong battle like themes to more jolly, folk like parts. Nice old instruments have been used, and it also includes some nice ‘Bodom’ like keyboard solo’s. There are also lots of heavy metal passages with some nice heavy metal guitar solo’s. So it is a little more than the Viking and folk metal bands I know like Thyrfing , Amon Amarth, Bathory or Månegarm.
 

I really like the vocals, they are raw and aggressive. They don’t get boring because the vocalist varies from screams to deep grunts. But you won’t hear any clean vocals. Choirs and some female vocals are used as well.

The album is mainly up-tempo. The production is very good and the songs are well written.

I really like the song ‘Lost Empire’. It has a very nice intro and the song has this really strong, powerful, and also sinister atmosphere.
 

Although I can’t say the music is very original, Runic did a very good job. The band members must have listened a lot to their genre, because it really gives the same feeling like their Scandinavian colleagues. Fans of this genre really will like this Mediterranean Viking metal I suppose.