Review by JD on June 15, 2010.

Finland has some wickedly amazing metal coming out of the small snow-swept country, some of the most brutal yet intriguing music that raises the bar for others. Because of that, this two band split EP made me curious as hell.

Each band has one original song on the CD, as well as each have chosen an Iron Maiden cover to add in as well. Deathchain does one of my favourite Maiden tunes 'Purgatory'...and does a great job of it. Sotajumala does 'Prowler'... another classic tune and a very intensely
enjoyable version has been born. Each do an amazing job of their respective covers... but the one original tune was a difference maker.

Sotajumala single original track is called 'Sinun Virtesi'. A track that is pretty good in spots, but ends up falling very short of being close to memorable. The track sounds just like a whole lot of other bands out there... and really does wallow in the murkiness of the mundaneness that is the scene. The recording was a little shoddy as well, and that added to the whole thing.

Deathchain’s original song is called 'The Crawling Chaos'. It has some great guitar work and interesting melody that perked my interest a little... but that does not hid the fact that the song is boring. The band do have some serious talent that I can hear, but I am feeling as if they had picked the wrong song to put out. The song does not showcase that they have talent... a fact perfectly clear to any who hear it.

So there you have it. They have proven to do cover classic metal great, but they really do need work in the original department. I hear that both bands have some talent that is not evident on the EP, but sadly, its being talented as a cover band. I hope I am wrong here, but I can only go with what I am hearing. Covers were good; originals were not. Nuff said.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 6
Atmosphere: 5
Production: 5
Originality:3.5
Overall: 5

Rating: 4.9 out of 10

Review by Luka on June 29, 2001.

They were confident enough to send the CD to anyone who asked, and, overall, this is more than adequate for a demo disc, the four songs show real talent and determination. Two guys lend their throats to the mike here, so there’s a bit of variety, Dave’s voice is harder and more powerful, however, Ivan sounds like a slower Dani Filth.

The production is quite impressive; they chose a good studio and must have had a better budget than most other beginner bands. The packaging and booklet is also very nicely done. The double bass is powerful as hell, the guitars sharp, the vocals rasping and so on and so on. Anything wrong? Only the fact that I can say the same thing for a thousand other metal bands.

Their self-proclaimed sound-"melodic death metal"-didn’t excite me too much, since it’s becoming impossible to find a band that doesn’t claim to be "melodic". Melodic death metal, to me, is Opeth or Dissection, not this generic black/death crossover, although 'Dark Dream' does have some nice guitar work.

The songs are good, more than good, and I was impressed by these guys. But I, for one, would not buy an album because their sound has been used so much and become so damn boring.

Bottom Line: Unoriginal.

Rating: 6 out of 10