It’s been a couple of weeks since we’ve looked at some EPs, and have a collection of three to check out today that we sure we’re going to love. Let’s dive right in!
Toria Riching: Bend and Break
The neo-traditional country woman is back with her fourth EP, and second just this year. I hadn’t heard of her before getting the email through about this, but I really enjoyed it! Her vocals are awesome, and fit the steady pace and darker tone perfectly. If you’re a fan of the likes of Don McLean, Willie Nelson, Paula Cole or Carol King, you’ll love this. And while tracks like ‘Cowboy’s and Moonshine’ and ‘Dark Times’ are personal highlights, all six tracks are pretty great. It’s just a damn good, chilled-out country album, and while I’d have liked maybe just one more-upbeat track amongst them, this was still a good listen that flowed well. 7.5/10
Unjoyful Play: Self-Titled
A dramatic change of pace, but the debut EP of the alt-death metal band is also an amazing release. I had no idea what to expect going into it, yet somehow was still surprised. It’s heavy, with some amazing, fast drumming, almost black metal-like riffing and some amazing growls. But it also has some impressive clean singing, which somehow harmonies rather perfectly with the screams at times. And all of that was simply from the amazing opening track. That was followed by the band’s debut single, and two more incredible tracks. It’s honestly impossible to pick a highlight track or two as they’re all so good, and it really feels like it’s intended for a full, 22-minute listen to really get the experience.
The band have crafted something that feels wholly unique while wearing plenty of inspiration on their sleeves, from Arch Enemy to Mr Bungle to Fear Factory to In Flames to even some Priest or Mercyful Fate with those high notes. Any fans of heavy music, I cannot recommend this enough. The band are going to go far, and I’mma be listening to this for weeks to come! 9/10
Paradis: Self-Titled
The second self-titled debut EP of the list, and it’s yet another utterly incredible release. I was a metalcore kid growing up, and this scratched all the right places in my brain. It’s heavy and melodic in equal measure, with some fantastic screams, awesome guitar riffs, and the breakdowns go hard. Favourite tracks include ‘Reflections’ and the epic ‘Immortal’, but there truly isn’t a bad track on this thing. We even get some more Mike Patton-like cleans, the second release in the week which have them, which is is never a bad thing! And there’s an real epic edge to a couple of the tracks, the choir vocals adding to the sound in a truly massive way. Clearly they are big Parkway fans!
The genre kinda cooled off as the old guard got massive and evolved, but it has recently had a real resurgence in the underground scene, and I can see it exploding again in a massive way soon. These guys could easily join the likes of I Prevail, Patient Sixty-Seven and Lost to Light in leading the next charge for the genre. The band are all massively talented and I cannot wait to hear where they go with and after this release. All I know is I’mma HAVE to see it live! It’s another 9/10!