Lord of the Rings nerds will recognize the name of this Wisconsin death metal band as the vast underground Dwarven Kingdom also known as Moria and the site of the bridge where Gandalf uttered his famous “YOU SHALL NOT PASS!” challenge to the Bal-rog.

So now my inner nerd got that out of the way, you have some idea what to expect from this quick but professionally done solid little 3 song, 15 minute demo/EP. It’s Tolkien themed, even so much and so far as its Dwarf themed. the Three songs, “The Grey Thus Commands”, “Durin’s Bane” and “Thorin Oakenshield” all relate to the dwarven element of the books, and do a good job with the lyrics (“Rising, Durin’s Bane, Rising Shadow’s flame, I who stood, with Melkor, since world, was young. Rising, Morgoth’s stain, Rising Maiar’s shame, I who’s steeped, in carnage, from first, song sung“- From “Durin’s Bane”).

But this is no Battlelore, Summoning, synth laden pomp. This is no frills, earthy, meaty death metal with a tangible nod to fellow Tolkien death metalers Helcaraze, Bolt Thrower and even some Nile, as only the Dwarves would have it.  Like Dwarven armor an weaponry, it’s chunky, simple  but effective. The pace is a mix of steady double bass rumble akin the the famous drums of the bands namesake, an industrious clang of the smithy with a few war mongering blasts (where the Nile comes through, as well as the vocals).

The 5 minute tunes all deliver something to enjoy. Particularly,  the aforementioned “Durin’s’ Bane” which has a really nice Nile-ish moment from 0:30 to 1:18 and closer “Thorin Oakenshield” with it’s pounding opening and closing. The only thing missing is the usual samples and quotes etc, but I kind of admire the band fr not taking that obvious route. All in, a very cool little gem of an EP from a band I hope continues and releases a full length soon, even of the Tolkien window has closed.

[Visit the band's website]

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