THE SECOND BRIGHTEST STAR

This is an odd release. There's a couple of songs that sound quite unlike any recent releases (title track, skyline) a couple of instrumentals that feel like they were left out of the middle of some other song (haymaking, terra austalis), one stellar track that is as good as anything on folklore or grimspound (the leaden stour) and two rearrangements connecting bits of those albums together that probably should have been on the original albums. i suspect there may be a full power version of the recent albums down the road connecting the bits of the three most recent albums. Until then this is an inessential disc. Enjoyable - but unnecessary.