Swedish power metal band Falconer has long been one of my absolute favorites, so when they announced their eighth full length album Black Moon Rising, it instantly became one of my most anticipated albums of 2014. Storming onto the scene in 2001, Falconer released two incredible albums in a row, before vocalist Mathias Blad decided he was no longer able to commit to the band full time, leading to a couple of solid but disappointing albums by their standards, as their music has a very distinct sound that doesn't work nearly as well without Blad. Thankfully, he returned on time for the stunning 2006 release Northwind, which ranks as my personal favorite, and then in 2008 they followed up with Among Beggars and Thieves, which was hardly a step down. In 2011 they attempted a slightly experimental album with the entirely Swedish sung Armod. More importantly,, though, that album represented their first full on power/folk album, as normally their albums are straight melodic power metal with some folk elements here and there, but Armod fully showcased their folk side and had a very unique sound. While it wasn't one of my favorite Falconer albums I still appreciated it as an interesting and successful experiment, but I'm sure I wasn't alone in hoping that Black Moon Rising would see them return closer to their roots.