I bought this album based upon some reviews (Decibel, and other reviews I found online) as well as the samples here on Amazon, and some of the videos posted on You Tube. It sounded different, and I was interested in something... different, and I have not been disappointed. This album is very unique. From my perspective, it's best described as a meld of early Mercyful Fate, Voivod, and '70s rawk, all adorned with pipe organs, some odd synth/organs here and there, and the occasional guitar drone; however, upon my first listen, what really struck me, and not in an entirely good way, was the crisp, clear vocal delivery. As someone who's generally more into harsh, abrasive vocals, Ghost's clean, clear vocals really caught me off guard, and I wasn't sure if this was going to be up my alley. At times the vocals teeter on the verge of King Diamond (ala Mercyful Fate), but not as shrill (and I like the lyrics, unlike King Diamond's, which I feel focus too much on furthering a story, and not so much on making a good song and are, as a result, embarrassing at times); at other times, the vocals are reminiscent of Snake of Voivod (ala Nothingface). After a few listens, I was really digging the vocals, as well as the album, as a whole. Lyrically, the subjects deal exclusively with evil, worshiping and praising Satan. Again, very different, subject-wise for vocals delivered in such a clear and open manner, but it's all very well done. Musically, the songs blend great rock riffs, delivered on guitars/amps/effects more reminiscent of '70s rock than metal, incredibly groovy bass tones, and as I had previously mentioned, some very cool, and very appropriate organ/synth work. It's an unusual blend, for sure. Perhaps a little too "nice" sounding for many who typically get into dark, evil music (generally, like myself), so if you're heavily into more extreme Black Metal (like me) or Death Metal, or Grind, etc., you may want to give this a serious preview before buying. But I'm into very abrasive music of all kinds, and I really like this album. I would rank it among my top purchases this year (of which I have made many... purchases, that is). If you like Mercyful Fate, you may very well enjoy this as well. If you like Voivod, and are willing to swap the sci-fi themes with those of hammer horror and praises sung to Satan, then you will probably enjoy this. I'm loving it. It's a great record with great songs, and it adds a different dimension to my daily soundtrack (of course, there have been many days, where this album IS my ENTIRE daily soundtrack, just because I love it so dearly). I don't write reviews too often, but this is one album that I felt needed to be reviewed ASAP. If you're reading this review, and it sounds even a little bit interesting to you, you should definitely give it a try.