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As already mentioned, the mix, while not exceptional, is fairly clear. The first song's intro exhibits some satisfying bass work, and the rest of the band soon follows behind. Palm muted riffs are a key feature in the writing, and the rhythm section as a whole sounds crisp and well put together, meeting the 'chuggy' parts in an appropriate way. The riffs themselves can be a bit on the bland side at times, though none of them are bad; their simplicity is forgivable because there is a lot else is going on in the arrangements. The only detrimental attribute of the instruments is the compositions of some of the lead guitar and violin parts, which play a few bad and repetitive melodies throughout the course of the album. But this isn't always the case. For example, on the sixth song, the orchestral arrangements are quite complimentary to the structure of the piece, and the song might suffer were it not for their presence. The same can be said for the lead guitar work on the penultimate track.

The vocals are my favorite aspect of the album. Swinging back and forth between cleans and screams, as is common with Gothic bands, the vocal parts are always catchy. The screams are usually layered, and the different tones the male vocalist uses mesh together in a way that makes the arrangement sound more full. The cleans could stand to show a bit more range, as some of them seem to be more rhythm-focused than melody-focused, an odd attribute for sung vocals, but one that isn't necessarily bad as they are executed competently. Unfortunately, some of the vocal melodies across the album sound almost identical to the others, and because the songs don't show too much variety, this can be a damning thing depending on your taste.

Though far from original or exceptional, 'Дорога в неизбежность' doesn't have any bad moments, just a few dry ones. The songs could stand to differentiate themselves from each other more, but each one of them is catchy, and each one on its own could be called a solid piece of music. Another interesting thing about the album is that it seems to get better as it progresses; more variety comes out in the later tracks, in both the instruments and the vocals. Maybe if Enclave Of Dreams had attempted an EP rather than a full length, focusing more so on the themes of the album's second half, the album would have come across better. Despite these shortcomings, 'Дорога в неизбежность' still exhibits some memorable moments, you just have to wait for them.

Released on the Czar Of Bullets sub-label, the packaging is again an understated and slightly ambiguous design on black - at first glance, the Satanic-looking skull and bone juggernaut adorning 'Ironclad' has more of a Death flavour than Doom - but it's a nice, tidy presentation providing the full lyrics and basic credits with old-school Heavy Metal unfussiness. And, on that, the contents pick up pretty much exactly the same vibe.

Returning to the fray are band founder Ralf Winzer Garcia and drummer Reto Crola, this time joined by guitarists Ralph Huber and André Mathieu, both from Swiss technical Death Metallers Punish. The personnel changes haven't actually made that much of a difference, but the thicker, heavier and louder mix gives a first surface impression that there are fewer lead solos and more riffs involved, whereas it's more the case that the former don't stand out as obviously against the beefier backdrop of bass and drums.

If you've been paying any attention over the past forty years or so, there's not going to be much of a surprise lurking anywhere in the seven hefty slabs of slow-to-medium tempo Trad Doom Metal on offer. There are some individual moments, with featured bass runs and lead lines taking the stage, but, by and large, this is classic Metal four-piece territory, all instruments riffing like concerted thunder behind quite plain, precise clean vocals. There's a loose theme to it, with the titular 'ironclad' apparently referring equally to either - as on the back cover illustration - knightly armour, or indomitability of spirit: the tracks conjuring images of both battlefield strife and hope for mankind. Not that there's anything particularly martial about the music, its solid heaviness marked by perhaps more of a weary fatalism than any great bursts of aggression. A lot of that is in the vocals, so often the make-or-break for any Trad-style band: whilst not covering a tremendous range, they make good use of inflection to compensate for that, and the baseline of sonorous sustain sits well within the mix rather than powering over it.

The tracks may not be surprising in themselves, but there's a fair bit of variety between them to keep the album interesting: the slow and steady chug of 'Pure As The Driven Snow' and 'When Steel Rains' mixing it up with faster and more rousing pieces like 'Ironclad' and 'Shield Wall', and a couple of more experimental ventures in changing tempo and texture in 'The Everlasting Ride' and 'Days Like Lost Dogs', before closing with the soaring 'Wolf Mountain'. It makes for a competent and professional balance to the album: none of the tracks are fillers, albeit it does feel like a couple could have been tightened up a little and held to around five/six minutes like the majority.

All in all, though, there's very little to complain about. It's a slick piece of work that ploughs a well-established furrow with vigorousness that doesn't really require much thought or analysis: you'll either enjoy the pummelling heavy groove of it, or you won't. Compared to the debut, it offers enough of an improvement in production to get past the 'difficult second album' hurdle - despite their largely similar spread of compositions and techniques, the two end up sounding fairly different. That does come at a small cost, given it was some of the rough edges that contributed to the authentic charm of 'Vol 1 - Wolf Counsel' - 'Ironclad' trades off some of that exuberant charisma for a greater polish, and some of the raw anthemic quality of the tracks for a more serious-sounding bigger stage. To me, that leaves it just a little more stolid an offering, not quite igniting the same hell-yeah spark, though that still puts it several notches above average, and a worthy contender for your attention during those more Metal moments.

1. The Dragon Lies Bleeding

[Stromblad / Cans]

Ride through the valley in thunder and rain
The battle is raging, redeem this domain
The castle of Eden lies silent above
Darkness surrounds us, away we must go

I look through the eyes of the world
I see there's a stranger among us
Awaiting a sign from above
To conquer the power and the glory

Enter the battle, our will to enchain
bringing us forward, defeating the pain
Into the meeting with swords made of steel
We're standing together, the secret reveals

I look through the eyes of the world
I know who's the stranger among us
Awaiting a sign from above to conquer
To conquer the power and the glory

Come across to the promised land
Close your eyes I will take your hand
Through the river of steel we'll go
When the dragon lies bleeding

Above the glory we'll carry on
Now the time has come to return back home
The setting sun illuminates the dead
On the battlefield it's shining red

Silent lies Eden on top of the moor
We're fighting with honor protecting our Lord
The last one survivor lies bleeding, I kneel
Into his heart I settle the steel

I look through the eyes of the world
There is no stranger among us
we march through the end of the world
in search of the power and the glory

Come across to the promise land...

2. The Metal Age

[Stromblad / Dronjak / Cans]

Icy water on my hands
The roar of thunder everywhere
I close my eyes, I realize I'm far away from home
In the twilight zone, the shadows mourn

Out of the night came the shining...(from)
The metal age

Ivory towers conceal my eyes
Caught up in a long lost time
Where no one speaks, at liberty, they guard their destiny
To forge the steel, they will reveal

Out of the night came the shining...

I'm falling into the breach
I'm a stranger in this land, I'm falling

Standing strong , the brave and the elder
With scars seldom forgotten, above it all
Come with us, offering shelter from the icy wind that shiver
Come with us to the twilight zone

You're welcome to The metal age

Hear the bell begins to chime
The moonlit skies burst out in flames
The time has come, it must be done, let the power be unchained
By the force within, let the war begin

Out of the night came the shining...

3. Hammerfall

[Stromblad / Dronjak / Cans]

Silent screaming, you're on your own
Balancing on a blade
Between what's right and what is wrong
Don't loose your faith, don't sit there in silence
Show your strength, let's hail the metal Gods,
Bare your heart

All for one, our burning hearts will live forever
One for all, together standing strong

Hammerfall - we will prevail
Hammerfall - let us hail

Hammerfall - we will prevail
Hammerfall - let us hail

We share a dream, the future is ours
A Metal Heart is hard to tear apart, heed the call
A flash of light calls out the providers
We run this race, but we will never crawl, all hail
Hammerfall

All for one, our burning hearts will live forever
One for all, together standing strong

Hammerfall - we will prevail
Hammerfall - let us hail
Hammerfall - we will prevail
Hammerfall - let us hail

Just follow your heart, don't listen to the crowd
The wisdom, the voice is calling from inside
The time long forgotten will soon come again
Prepare for the meeting, the Gods of Metal reign

4. I Believe

[by Cans / Stalfors]

Is is too late to go in peace, I wonder how
how these things did start anyway
Maybe too late to find a way, when the
trail of grief is marked with memories

Now when you're gone, the warmth
of the sun seems so faraway

I believe - in everything I see, every
second is a miracle for me
I believe - after sunshine comes the
rain, and when it's pouring down
the only thing I feel is pain

I walk alone through shapeless dreams
my only home is the wasteland that I cross
I close the door and turn the key
those days of joy are barely memories
Now when you're gone, your star will
shine on, wont you shine for me

I believe- in everything I see, every
second is a miracle for me
I believe- after sunshine comes the
rain, and when it's pouring down
the only thing I feel is pain

5. Child Of The Damned

[by Bill Tsamis]

You made me see right past myself, well beyond
my fears, realized I'm synchronized, far beyond my years
I'm so guard unto them, I serve unto their souls
now that I'm addicted, my hunger only grows

I'm a child of the damned, I follow where I go
rigging to the cross, as holy as a whore
I'm just a child of the damned

Witches coven, the time has come for those sabbatical
years, revelation is the message, for all in all to hear
Prophets slayed, mankind arrayed into mass submission
evil's here, the lord of hell gives you the proposition

I'm a child of the damned, I follow where I go
rigging to the cross, as holy as a whore
I'm just a child of the damned

Give away your life goals, your meaning and ambition
it means nothing to you, after all it's superstition
Do not be afraid, the world is near the end
is it better to rule in hell, than it is to serve in heaven?

I'm a child of the damned, I follow where I go
rigging to the cross, as holy as a whore
I'm just a child of the damned

6. Steel Meets Steel

[by Dronjak]

Back in 1095, when the call to arms came
we had the red cross sown on
Sent to save the holy land and crush the infidels
with strength from above

STEEL MEETS STEEL

On towards victory we march, the guiding star
lead us to the battle field
There, the heathens were subdued, and in the end
we forced them all to yield or die

STEEL MEETS STEEL

In July in '99, the Holy City was stormed and won
Jerusalem was freed, we thanked the lord for our glory

We, the Templars, have survived by honor and pride
and the blessing of the sword
The quest of the war, forever sung
to the sound of steel meets steel

STEEL MEETS STEEL

7. Stone Cold

[by Stromblad / Dronjak / Cans]

Outcast a time of war, when mankind lost control
of life and death, under surveillance

I watch the children pray, while god just turns away
out in the ruins they seek shelter
These streets were once my home, but those
golden days are gone, now I'm fighting to survive

Stone cold, man or machine
Stone cold, the end of our dream

The word is on the street, it's kill or to be killed
with no exception you are on your own

We should have seen it all along, the writings
on the wall, tell me what have we become

Stone cold ...

Who do you believe in now, when the prophecy
came true, the final deja vu

These streets were once my home ...

Stone cold ...

8. Unchained

[by Stromblad / Dronjak / Cans]

Undying nightfall, a king with no crown
dethroned, imprisoned in chains
Duel the black horse, the Swordsmen must kneel
condemned to serve within the shadows
Put 'em next to their King

Out of the fire and into the night
a handful of brave men appeared
Crimson thunder running through their veins
a bond that will last forever
Nothing's stronger than ...

Brothers in arms are fighting tonight
the Forces of steel meet again
born in the fire, they look to the sky
power of metal unchained

Time has come, break out of these chains
FIGHT! proud for your kingdom
Behind the defenders the king marches on
by divine intervention
They are fighting with ...

Brothers in arms are fighting tonight
the Forces of Steel live again
born in the fire, they look to the sky
the power of metal unchained

Past many nights they fought on
and by the moonlight the battle was won
but still the black horse is running
knowing were the power will lead

Brothers in arms are fighting tonight
the Forces of Steel live again
born in the fire, they look to the sky
the power of metal unchained

9. Glory To The Brave

[by Dronjak / Stromblad / Cans]

Snow is falling down on this glorious land
colors fading, turning into white again
To fallen heroes angels sting, they cry their winter tears
endless mourning days will turn to years

So this is goodbye, I take leave of you and
spread your wings and you will fly away now, fly away now

Nothing on earth stays forever
but none of your deeds were in vain
Deep in our hearts you will live again
you're gone to the home of the brave

Every solemn moment I will treasure inside
even though it's hard to understand
that a silent wind can blow that candle out
taking everything leaving the pain far behind

You call out my name, but your voice is fading
into the wind, embraced, you'll fly away now, fly away now

Nothing on earth stays forever
but none of your deeds were in vain
Deep in our hearts you will live again
you're gone to the home of the brave

My eyes are closed I feel you're faraway (so close)
far beyond that shining star
I know you'll find what you've been fighting for
far beyond that shining star

Down on bended knee I pray, bring courage to these souls
make 'em live forever in the heart of the bold
So I say farewell my friends, I hope we'll meet again
when my time has come to fall from the grace

So this is goodbye, I take leave of you and
spread your wings and you will fly away now, fly away now

Nothing on earth stays forever
but none of your deeds were in vain
Deep in our hearts you will live again
you're gone to the home of the brave

[Dedicated to the memory of Klas Fors]

10. Ravenlord

[Bonus track, Stormwitch Cover]

Grey morning, dawn won the fight
Daylight drives away the night
Fog's rising out in the fields
The birth of winter is in sight
Dark shadow's fall from the sky
They alight on gallows tree
Black feathers, amber beaks
Waiting for their Deity
Leaves are spinning 'round
Lost and never found
When the King takes the Crown
Can you feel
The autumn wind blowing
Ravenlord is coming to stay
Can you hear
The passing bell tolling
Ravenlord - takes you far away
Sharp talons, pinions of ice
They obscure the new-born day
Hot breathing freezes to snow
Piercing caws lead you astray
Leaves are spinning 'round...