IDOL THRONE plays thrash-induced power metal. They also draw from progressive and neoclassical metal to create the music for "The Sibylline Age." With ten tracks and clocking in at one hour, this album is not for those with short attention spans. The songs on this album are dense and fruitful, with lots to enjoy. The lyrics deal with typical fantasy tropes, such as the hero's journey of loss and redemption. This is not a concept album, so there isn't a coherent story from one track to the next.

The second track, "Unholy Warrior," is an excellent example of what IDOL THRONE does best. The song starts off with a classic NWOBHM scream, and then the galloping guitars begin. The vocals and production are crisp and clean. Jake Quintanilla's vocals sound similar to those of Brian Ross from SATAN.

The fourth track on "The Sibylline Age," "Sacred Fire," starts off with extremely fast speed metal. The guitars continue the galloping trend throughout the song's entirety. There is also some fantastic drumming from Aaron Grove on display. The vocals are as clean as can be; so clean that I understood every lyric and found the writing to be a bit trite. That being said, I still enjoyed the soaring vocals and bright arpeggios. This track is a high point on the album.

Track six, "Last Full Measure," is a complicated one. The musicianship is excellent, but the song is an eight-minute instrumental. I didn't think the track needed to be that long, especially since the music underwent no major developmental changes. It's more of the same power-thrash that makes this album worth listening to, but I feel they could have accomplished what they set out to in half the time.

The next cut, "Crown Of Fools," is another high point. I just wish it was earlier on the album. This music is so rich that it can be a turn-off when it's this excessive. The song is very much influenced by NWOBHM. There are galloping guitars, a great sing-along chorus, and some more of Grove's masterful drum work. It's also a bit overlong at just over seven minutes.

After that comes "Raven's Blade," another fine track if it had been earlier on the album. It has a nice bouncy rhythm at the beginning and some nice mid-tone tremolos. There are lots of guitar acrobatics going on, and the driving hook is memorable. The vocals also sound powerful, with Quintanilla's full range on display. The song kind of feels like a reward for venturing this deep into the album.

The final track, "The Sibylline Age," is an eleven-and-a-half minute epic. This song comes on at the album's forty-eight-minute mark. Honestly, by the time this track came on, I had already had as much power-thrash as I could stomach. The song itself is noteworthy and shows off every member's intrinsic talents. My biggest gripe with this track is that, like "Last Full Measure," the music has no major developments. It's more progressive than the other tracks, and it has plenty of individual parts, just too many to let the song breathe.

I'm torn about the album. On one hand, the music is dynamic, the band is tight, and the songs are lots of fun. On the other hand, this album could have used a strict editor to keep it to just the absolute essentials. In this day and age, with most people streaming their music and most albums clocking in around thirty to forty-five minutes, a solid hour of power-thrash left me feeling exhausted by the final song's end.