The title track starts things off with a nice acoustic guitar intro that leads into an electric guitar jam. This was a standard rock formula before "Stairway to Heaven", and all the more difficult to do well for that. Thankfully, Pathian avoids the common "My Guitar Is My Substitute Phallus and I Must Wave It Before You" syndrome which Freud would have written about had he lived long enough. His chops are clean and tasteful, and show real talent without descending into pyrotechnics for their own sake.

Another standout track, "More than Pain", appears on the upcoming compilation CD "The Nature of Gothic: the Whitby Collection." This one really showcases Pathian's skills as a one-man band: I was particularly impressed by his bass playing here, but he's no slouch as a keyboard player or a drummer either! "Angel Down" has a breathtaking lead guitar solo, sweet and unsettling like Kirk Hammett's work on Metallica's "Fade to Black", "This is Absolution" has the drums rocking in double-time, while Pathian throws out some guitar notes that would leave Eddie Van Halen straining to keep up, and "Seraphim" shows he can handle rhythm guitar as skillfully as lead. The final track, "Giving Ground", seems to be ending things on a soft, melancholy note, with a wistful guitar that wouldn't be out of place on a "smooth jazz" station -- then the drums kick in, and Pathian overlays a fast lead guitar counterpoint over the keyboards.