If I had my way, this review would consist of six words: “This is good. Buy this. Now.” Of course, while that would adequately describe my feelings toward this album, it’s not really fair to you, the readers, who are probably looking for some sort of description of what exactly SCALD and “Will Of The Gods Is Great Power” sound like. Well, here it is.

In the old times of Russia, scalds were the storytellers, bards who passed along tales of wars, warriors and the gods. Well, that’s exactly what SCALD does, though their stories are presented through the medium of absolutely majestic Epic Doom Metal with lots of Viking influence. When I say “majestic,” I mean it – “Will Of The Gods Is Great Power” will take you out of your seat and place you on a windy, icy mountaintop during a thunderstorm, where SCALD plays their music overlooking the entire world. The production is not very good, but with music this powerful, who needs production? The riffs, the solos, the keyboard lines – every track is a worthy tribute to the gods.

Sadly, SCALD were struck by tragedy early on when singer Agyl passed away. Rather than continuing the band, the other members left SCALD behind and formed TUMULUS, a Folk Metal band far removed from their previous sound. This was a very understandable and respectful decision on the part of the band, as SCALD would just not be SCALD without Agyl’s incredible vocals. This man is a god among vocalists, complete with range, power and emotion. The high notes that he hits overtop of the solo in the middle of “Night Sky” are spine-tingling, as is the wailing at the beginning of “Sepulchral Bonfire.” When you hear those parts and many others throughout the album, you can’t not listen, stop what you’re doing and just listen. In fact, the first many times I listened to this album, it was almost overwhelming. So good that it can be hard to listen to? Strange, but yes.

Thankfully, Wroth Emitter re-released this lost classic in 2003 as a tribute to Agyl, though it’s still nearly impossible to find. In addition to the original album, we get a track from the band’s earlier demo, which is another version of “Sepulchral Bonfire.” If you do manage to find this and you have even the slightest interest in Doom, Viking, or just Plain Old Good Metal, you owe it to yourself to pick it up.

I say without reservation that “Will Of The Gods Is Great Power” is absolutely one of the greatest Epic Doom albums ever made, on par with “Epicus Doomicus Metallicus” and “Into The Depths Of Sorrow.” Rest in peace, Agyl – as the band wrote in the liner notes of the re-release, “your voice is worthy of Valhalla, so let it forever resonate in the ears of gods you had praised…” (Online November 25, 2005)