Italian heavy metal bands tend to be a bit dramatic and overblown (to put it mildly), with leading examples such as Rhapsody and Labyrinth pursuing the symphonic, operatic, or at the very least progressive ends of the compositional spectrum; so the relatively unadorned doom metal championed by the aptly named Doomsword sounds surprisingly refreshing. To be sure, their albums (including a self-titled debut from 1999, 2002's Resound the Horn, and 2003's Let Battle Commence) still contain ambitious lyrical themes dealing with both ancient history and mythology, but vocalist, guitarist, and guiding force Deathmaster has generally resisted many of his countrymen's excesses throughout the band's career and ever-revolving membership. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia