The debut album from Oregon's Gladius is a rich mixture of power and speed metal superimposed over traditional metal landscapes. Vocalist Nick Courtney routinely moves from high to low vocals, invoking the typical Halford type falsetto with blackened and death bawls. Musically the group are akin to early Iced Earth ('Night of the Stormrider') and Three Inches of Blood by conveying their message through a barrage of double-bass aesthetics and quick fingered rhythm. 'Crimson Eradicator' and 'Subservient' are foisting reminders that underground American metal is still prominent and worthy of recognition.