The third album by
Claymore,
Into the Wind, is a noticeably more mature and consistent effort than either of their two previous recordings. Their strong point has always been their musicianship and arranging skill, and on this album
Claymore seems content with the music (and not the lyrics/vocals) dictating the course of the songs. Sure, they still want to rock like
Van Halen and
Rainbow, but since their musical affinities also lie with the sounds of Scotland, their progressive style of Celtic rock is also comparable to
Wolfstone, or perhaps more aptly, the Australian bagpipe rock band (of Scottish descent)
Brother. This is a fine recording that achieved the consistency and sustained creativity that neither
Unblended nor Highlander could.