For some rediculous reason, this EP has been PANNED by a few reviewers. Why, I do not know. I think it rocks, and I've been a fan of Necromantia since before "Crossing The Fiery Path" (their debut CD) came out.
The EP opens with "Shamen" which could've EASILY been slotted in with their last CD, "Scarlet Evil Witching Black". Quite awesome. It opens with a synth-violin intro that reminds me of the first intro on the first album, but from then on in, its pure Necromantia.
The title track is up next, and its a bit different. The structure of the song is like nothing they've done before, and the bass (the one which sounds like a guitar) drops out during the "singing" of each verse). Like most Necromantia compositions, it has an annoyingly catchy synth-based melody, which gets stuck in your mind like aluminium. (sorry, Alzheimers joke).
The 3rd track, "For The Light Of My Darkness" sees a bit more experimentation, mainly with melody. Its a slower affair (with the obligatory fast section at the end) that for some reason, reminded me of the 2nd track from the new Emperor EP. It just has that eerie feel to it. This track really highlights how good Necromantia are getting at this synth thing. They're really utilising it to much greater effect than before.
To polish of the CD, the band have covered Manowar's "Each Dawn I Die", and I'm glad to say, its quite faithful to the original. We all know about DeMaio's ego, and how his bass always seemed to come through louder than the guitars. Every quirk is reproduced (especially the bass slides!), the vocals actually sound appropriate, and that chorus melody is just as dirty as ever.
The design of the digipak is also killer. Clear black and white closeups of various ancient Greek/Macedonian icons, buildings etc. (On a side note, did anyone else notice that Osmose botched the printing on the spine of this digipak? its on the back!)
All in all, another quality Necromantia release.
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