I want to make some thing clear so as not to be misunderstood at some parts of this review. Firstly, I am not the greatest fan of Folk Metal or 'Mittelalter Rock' (as some call this band) on earth. Secondly, if you take a look at the band's line up you will realize that you probably know only half of the instruments they use. I couldn't find out what the fuck was going on so I ended up copying and pasting the band's line up from their label's official homepage.

Now, regarding the band itself, their name means Dance Of Death, and if I am not mistaken it is Latin. Their only previous album I had the chance to taste was the 2002 Das Zweite Gesicht, which was in fact really nice. That was only their second album (again through Napalm) and now, five years later they release their sixth album to show that their name is slowly getting bigger and bigger into the folk Metal scene. The atmosphere remains the same and the bagpipes along with the synths create a magic carpet that travels you to times of glory and honour.

SALTATIO MORTIS have managed to mix classic folk music with modern and heavier forms in an incredible way, and have managed to create a more than interesting folk Metal album. Alea's vocals are fitting the music like a glove and the best thing is that compared to Das Zweite Gesicht, he has reduced the theatrical parts and he is more melodic this time. The lyrics are in their native language, German, since we are dealing with a German band.

The production is one more strong point in this album, since the sound is ultra heavy and clean. I think that SALTATIO MORTIS is one of the best cards Napalm Records holds in its hands and that is definitely one of the reasons they haven't lost it yet. So, if you like bands like SUBWAY TO SALLY and are hungry for a good heavy folk Metal album, this is the one!