Stigmata are a power metal band from Germany that could be called the Black Sabbath of the 90's. I guess they are rather unknowns for the masses. Influences can also be heard from Rainbow and 70's hard rock. This CD is recorded at Big Apple Studio/Salzburg from July to august 1998, and it's their second album for Noise.

The singer is a mix between Ronnie James Dio and Dee Snider. The musicians may not be among the best in the world, but they are really tight, and that means a lot too. The music also got great arrangements.

The best songs are the opener "The Crusade Of Lies", "Fever Dream" (here you can hear the Black Sabbath influences), "The Final Hour" and "Fool III (Only Blood Makes Me Sane)" the most progressive tune on the album.

This is a reasonable CD that is among the better power metal releases from 1998.