Solstice's (not to be confused with the U.S. death band of same name) first album, 'Lamentations', was an excellent doom metal album done in the clean, classy style of Messiah-era CANDLEMASS and SOLITUDE AETURNUS. With NDA, the band forged their own identity, keeping their clean-vocaled doomy roots but infusing a sense of grandeur into the songwriting that gives the songs an air of barbarian glory- almost celtic at times. Combined with the proud-yet-mournful lyrics, the music gives a sense of an outnumbered army preparing to take the field of battle on some long-forgotten moor. Some folk influences are also skillfully woven in without making the music feel hokey in any way. The riffs are HUGE (see openings of 'cimmerian codex' and 'hammer of damnation' for prime examples) and the music chugs along at a solid pace. The best tracks are loaded on the front half of the disc, with the second having more short instrumental/accoustic parts, which makes it less exciting that the first four numbers. Overall it's a great album with a very unique identity, and how many metal albums can you say that about in recent years? Damn few.