Sometimes, there is nothing quite like kicking back and putting on some nice, simple, and brutal Swedish death metal. Today, I present the first release of the new Swedish death metal band RIKET. Featuring two current members of NETHERBIRD (Tinitus and Nephente) and former NETHERBIRD drummer and current AT THE GATES drummer Adrian Erlandsson, RIKET is their newest project of classic old school Swedish death metal (featuring the classic death and decay inspired lyrics that are exclusively in Swedish). Being that the EP is only 11:32 long and two of the songs aren't even two minutes, let us just dive right in.

Opening with "Dovt är dödens dån" I must admit I don't think much of the majority of the song. It isn't super inspiring, and while there are moments here and there and riffs here and there, the song is a bit bland. The song kind of bleeds into itself, making it harder to remember. Following this is "Avart och vanart", another song I can't say much of. I do like the drum work better here, but the overall tempo and the riffs don't sound amazing truthfully. It is again a case of somewhat memorable parts here and there but a song that kind of bleeds together. However, being only 1:46, it is harder to make a song very memorable. Sadly, it is the same case with "Svärta." It is better than the previous two in my personal opinion, and the overall beat and riffs work better together, but in this case, it still follows the trend of lacking in an ability to be memorable. The final song on the EP, "Lågor vid portarna,", makes up for all of this though. I will say now that I f***ing love this song. Drawing on their strong points with bands like NETHERBIRD and AT THE GATES, while more melodic this song is amazing. Featuring amazing guitar and bass work from Tinitus, as well as the drum work from Adrian and vocals from Nephente, and an overall amazing progression and sound with a guitar solo I love, this song I cannot speak highly enough of. Even apart from the song as a whole, the individual parts ranging from the opening to the bridge and to the closing, everything meshes impeccably.

It is hard to rate this album because of the awkward situation it puts me in. The firsts three songs were bland in my honest opinion, but they were also short and this is a new band and their very first release. At the same time, the final song on the album was amazing and one I think extremely highly of. However, I will give the band and EP some slack because of the fact this was an EP that wasn't even 12 minutes long and the very first release of a brand new band. I think that RIKET has the potential to become an amazing band, and that they need the time to find a niche that they are comfortable playing. Experimenting is never bad, but at the same time drawing on experience is also a good way to expand outward from there. I will recommend people listen to this EP and watch out for future releases, as the first release will likely always be the shakiest. I wish the band the best of luck and cannot wait to hear where they go from here.