Some albums just take lift you up and take you on a journey the moment you press play on the first track. Australia's MONGREL'S CROSS does exactly this on their third full length "Arcana, Scrying and Revelation". The album is full of emotionally evocative leads, energetic drumming and great vocals. The album starts off with the hard hitting "Suffer the Witch to Live". It is a perfect start to the album and takes the listener into a deep dive into the sound of this album. From the beginning on, one is bound to notice the great quality of production and the excellent use of the instruments.

The next song I want to talk about is "A Magician's Prayer". The influence of the NWOTHM of the American and European variety shines through here. It gives the whole experience an elevation. This mellow song is one of the highlights of this full length. The influence of the legendary DISSECTION can also be heard throughout the record, especially their later melodic sound and song structure. The two part song "Fate of the Grail Pt I" and "Fate of the Grail Pt II", proves to be another highlight to the album. It evolves over the two parts and becomes one of epic proportions. This is again a testament to the Traditional Metal influences the band has taken in.

This album surprised me when I heard it for the first time with its sheer beauty and excellent song writing. But even more surprising was the fact that it got better with each listen and as this went on, there was still more to discover and explore, while still remaining catchy and memorable. The sword and sorcery imagery and the styling of the whole package are very exciting too. Bands like BLACK MAGIC from Norway, and NIGHT COBRA are what come to mind when I listen to the album and also the ultimate DISSECTION. As weird as the comparisons sound, the sound is really unique and has huge potential.

The album embodies a blasphemous mixture of the NWOTHM, leaning heavily on Speed Metal while, and Black metal stylistics. There is no wonder that this band got signed by HELL'S HEADBAGERS RECORDS. This band is just really exceptional in their unique take on the burgeoning Black/ Speed genre. This release is excellent front to back, and is truly killer. Easily one of the top records of the year!