Legend

This young band hailing from Arizona deliver on this EP with 20 minutes of powerful, fast, and sometimes epic metal. Merging the bleak sound of black metal with metalcore and a dash of melody, they breathe some new life into all the genres they draw from. This sextet's constantly rotating lineup managed to solidify - with Vehemence veteran Bjorn Dannov and ex-Black Dahlia Murder drummer Zach Gibson - long enough to record this tantalizing record; just long enough to satisfy but also short enough to make you desperately want more.

The band is remarkably tight throughout, with the drums and guitars standing out in terms of intricacy and skill. Their keyboarder, a recent convert to metal fandom, provides just enough harmony to add to the music without diluting its raw power. The bass is, as usual, too quiet for my tastes--but not unforgivably so. To top it off, their vocalist belts out raw, high-pitched shrieks interspersed with occasional deep growls (and even more occasional clean vocals) which adds the final layer to an already-excellent piece.

All in all, this EP is a gem among the myriad of "-core" influenced bands; if metal purists can disregard that label, they may find this album is worth their time.