Here we have one of the best Heavy Metal albums of this year, now that it is drawing to an end. It’s the return of TERMINUS from Northern Ireland, after their debut “The Reaper’s Spiral” back in 2015, playing highly melodic and complex Metal yet full of strength and tenacity. The fast opener ‘To Ash, To Dust’ immediately shows what the band has to offer. The remarkable voice of James Beattie is a feast for the ears together with crunching guitars and precise drumming, now sole responsibility of David Gillespie, who is currently handling all instruments. Having become a studio-only band, I find myself quite lucky for having seen them live once, in a great event full of beer and Metal in Dublin, several years ago. The album is amazing, with very strong songs from beginning to end. There may be a few highlights, like ‘Mhira, Tell Me The Nature Of Your Existence’ (from which the album’s title is taken) or the 10 minutes long ‘Spinning Webs, Catching Dreams’, which ends this journey, but it’s really all excellent. The riffing and soloing are intricate and blend wonderfully with the vocals and the rhythm section. It’s really extremely praiseworthy for a single instrumentalist to have the musical capability for the creation of something as good as this. Add James, and we have quite the team! The lyrics have hints of science fiction throughout, as is usual for TERMINUS, but they are open to personal interpretation and not much descriptive. Among the many, many more recent bands currently playing and releasing Heavy Metal albums, TERMINUS have all the aces in hand to be considered heavy weights of the scene. And, like SLOUGH FEG before them, they have the important bonus of having their own sound, which is quite a feat these days. If you are into bands like SLOUGH FEG, VISIGOTH or SORCERER this is essential listening. More info at: www.facebook.com/terminusni, www.cruzdelsurmusic.com