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.
