At first, Swedish band Axenstar, led by brothers Magnus (singer and keyboardist) and Thomas (guitarist and principal songwriter) Eriksson sounds like a pretty typical power metal act, with the usual speed and furious guitar work (although the lyrics are more immersed in religious immagery than normal), but what gives them a distinctive sound is the over dubbing or Magnus' vocals, particularly in the choruses. Every song has him, for want of a better way of putting it, harmonising with himself, and this helps them, which are already quite melodious, rise above the reasonable to the quite lovely at times. There is a temptation to critisise this debut for lacking much variety, and it is a bit hard to single out specific songs, but that could also be because there are no real weaknesses - every one grabs in its own way, although I will point to "All I Could Ever Be", "New Revelations" and "Perpetual Twilight" for special mention.
One other negative is that it would have been nice if Magnus' voice(s) was a bit louder in the mix. But it's not too bad, and the overall result here is a very appealling, enjoyable listen from a band who has found their own sound.
***1/2
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