With their fittingly named tenth studio album, X, Narnia continues their legacy of melodic, faith-driven metal. Personally, this reviewer appreciates the bookends of this release, the first two and final two tracks, more than the middle section. "Like a Thief in the Night" and "Oceanwide" are two solid offerings that exemplify Narnia's classic sound, and the later two change up the feel from the rest of the album and call back to songs from their earlier albums. "The War That Tore The Land (Reprise)" is an instrumental inspired by the song of the same name that the band released on 2019's From Darkness to Light, and "The Man from Nazareth, Pt. II" continues the story started in "The Man from Nazareth" from 2006's Enter the Gate. The latter and longest track of the project closes the album in a slow, but epic, fashion with a beautiful telling of the Resurrection story.

The first and final songs also do a good job of tying the record together thematically, as "Like a Thief in the Night" warns about "A new world coming / Son of heaven coming from the sky / Like a thief in the night," and "The Man from Nazareth, Pt. II" provides a response: "Go into the world and proclaim the news all over the land / Now and forever, let the kingdom come for all to see."

Even though, as previously mentioned, the middle tracks do not stick out as much as the bookends do, the stretch still provides some worthwhile selections. "Remedy (SOS)," for example, is reminiscent of Stryper's "The Devil Doesn't Live Here" -- particularly in its opening riff -- and features darker vocals in the verses that later pave the way for more typical vocals from frontman Christian Liljegren once the chorus hits. This shift occurs multiple times during the song, which sets it apart from the other tracks which surround it.

A few songs later, "Every Breath" offers a fast, driving pace with lyrics focused on dedicating one's full life to God: "Every breath I give to You / All I am belongs to You / Jesus Christ, You are my everything." As is the case with much of the album, the lyrics remain relatively straightforward; even so, they accomplish exactly what lyrics should with this approach: fully pointing to Jesus, proclaiming His name, and making it clear that He is the motivation behind the music that Narnia writes.

At the end of the day, X may not be earth-shattering, but those who enjoy hard rock or metal with clean vocals and guitar solos will find the Swedish band's newest release a quality listen. Narnia may not have the same name recognition that the comparable sounding Stryper does, but they still have formed a legacy of their own, one that this album nicely continues.

- Review date: 5/25/26, written by Noah Schmidt of Jesusfreakhideout.com