Not only does Theocracy provide the tunes to bang your head to, but they also bring some vocal arrangements that could convert the masses, such as the extremely powerful chorus in "Laying the Demon to Rest" or "Tower of Ashes" or the more mellowed out ballad of "Bethlehem". At over an hour long and some very drawn out songs (22 minutes is the longest song), I wondered if _Mirror of Souls_ could seriously keep my attention all that time, and just as these doubts were creeping upon me, Theocracy kicks in with some new melody, some new section that delivers soaring vocals, or a change of pace to get the blood flowing; all of this out of seemingly nowhere.

Now I'm not a religious man, but the sheer mind-boggling power with which these guys play really gets me into the music. I've never praised God in my life, let alone sing his praise, but here I stand, changed, fully accepting that the beliefs of this band is what really pulls it off for them. I don't think that this will be everyone's cup of tea, and it isn't normally mine, but it's always worth trying out something new. Amen.