Adramelech are certainly one of the most massively underrated death metal bands in the world. Their last album Psychostasia was nothing short of amazing - a perfect marriage of brutality, technical perfection, excellent songwriting vision and amazing melodies. Yet it never received the recognition it deserved, probably due to a lack of promotion, scarce touring and all the usual things that we've all come to be so familiar with from being in the scene for years.
In any case, Adramelech has decided to release this mini-album to remind everyone that they are still together while their upcoming second full-length is being worked on. Two new songs ("Seven" and "The Sleep of Ishtar") will certainly put a happy smile on the faces of all those who dug Psychostasia. Nice hooks, full-on speed, tasteful harmonies - all the right ingredients are in place. The only negative thing that I noticed is the way the vocals were recorded. To be honest, they sound kind of weak, lacking deep morbid feeling that Jarkko used to put into them. Then we also get 2 live versions of their older songs, which sound pretty good. The fifth song here is a reworked version of a really strong track called "Ancestral Souls". It also sounds very good except for the odd vocals that I have yet to learn to stomach.
All in all, this is a worthy purchase provided that the 2 new tracks will remain exclusive to this album. Adramelech are ceratinly deserving of your massive support given their previous album and the fact that this band includes the ex-members of Demigod. By the way, I've heard that they have reformed and will record a new album. Now that's something that makes it worth your while.