Even this close to the end of the year, we have some awesome EP releases, aren’t we lucky? Let’s check them out below!
Dwelled: Suffering Heritage
The debut EP from the British contemporary metallers is heavy, melodic awesomeness! It definitely lays somewhere between metal and deathcore, and I love it! The riffs go hard, as do the drums and the screams, but there is also some cleaner vocals in there that add an almost catchy element to it all. ‘Spineless’ is the absolute perfect opener and introduction to the band; a two minute barrage of brutalness that shows off exactly what the band are about. Then you have massively standout tracks like ‘Echos’ and ‘Suffer’. However, every one of the six tracks on this thing is awesome, and it was over far too soon! This band have a MASSIVE future ahead of them, especially given that they’ve only had a solid lineup for a year and are putting stuff out this good. If you’re a fan of the likes of Loathe and Left to Suffer, I can’t recommend this enough. It’s an easy 9/10 from us!
Fireblood: Goatslayer
Switching gears a little to some sludgy swamp metal from North Carolina. This is the band’s sophomore EP, the first having been released back in April. We somehow missed it but I’m gonna have to go back and check it out because I loved this! It’s plodding, heavy greatness that feels the best combination of Black Label Society, Crowbar and Eyehategod, and it’s a damn enjoyable listen! It’s certainly not a release for everyone, but if you like this particular side of stoner/doom/sludge metal, this is very much the four tracks for you! ‘Death Comes Rolling’ is awesome, but the proggy closing track is my personal favourite, an epic doom track if there ever was one! It’s a great EP that I again so desperately want more of, and it gets a solid 8/10 from us!
Paradise Sins: Desires
Changing pace to some hard rock now, as this stadium-filling AOR release is again the band’s second of the year and overall. It’s a sleaze-dripping, stomping rock release, and if you’re into that sort of thing it’s a lot of fun! It’s full of soaring vocals, catchy, massive choruses and harmonies, and some great riffs throughout. I absolutely loved ‘Beautiful Disaster’ and the epic closing ballad ‘Sacrifice’, but all five tracks are well worth a listen. Honestly I’m shocked the band aren’t bigger in the UK scene as there is a massive scene for this sort of thing. However, with a quality release like this, there is no question they will be making waves soon! Any rock fans should check this out immediately, and it’s another easy 8/10 from me!