Finland's MYSTONS are a surprising musical duo; I began and finished listening to their new release with two completely different mindsets about their music. At first I thought I would be subject to yet another sludgy, dozing Stoner Rock band cloning a little too much of the original Stoner pioneers of the last century. However, not setting my expectations too high I was left pleasantly surprised to hear a thoughtful mix of BLACK SABBATH, TYPE O NEGATIVE and even TOOL that ended up in a diverse, but compact, mix of Hard and Progressive Rock.

"Coal Soul Woman" has an incredibly strong classic rock feel to it, yet created in a modern recording studio. The heavily-overdriven guitars will become a selling point for this band; initially grating, but much more accessible than the annoyingly-powerful fuzz pedal overuse that plagues a lot of the stoner genre. "Let the Darkness Rest in Peace" was one of my favorite tracks from the album. Mid-tempo, whilst giving off a heavy, downtrodden atmosphere, it showcases the range of vocal styles that M Myston uses to good effect. Not quite the baritone of the late Peter Steele, when hitting the low notes his voice takes on a velvety undertone that complements the somber arrangements. The more energetic passages involve him singing in a more aggressive, up-beat tone, often found in most Hard Rock and Alternative Metal.

"King of Rage" was one of the more heavier and aggressive tracks, although it is broken up by nearly minimalistic passages that can be compared to rising and crashing of waves. Strangely enough, I was immediately reminded of early RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE; the riff work is extremely catchy. For a relatively short track, it has a lot to say to us. "Only You" was another short track, but gives off a much more panicked vibe of aggression among the seemingly tight passages of riffs; even the vocals are more pained, expressive and frantic.

I feel like this is a solid release for a band; the album is a very compact and uniform creation; that is not to say it comes across as generic and same-y, but that a listen-through makes sense, and each of the songs fit together piece by heavily-overdriven piece.