Armed with members of MEMORIAM and FUNEBRARUM as well as former members of BOLT THROWER, EXCRUCIATE and CARBONIZED, DARKENED dropped "Into the Blackness," the band's debut EP. With three tracks and an intro, the EP is short and runs at around 15 minutes. The material presented is impressive but nothing new.

"The Offering" roars into existence after the intro got the ball rolling. With tight riffing and thought-out progression and songwriting, the track proves to be a decent start. The dark melodies intertwine with the groovy drums to create a BOLT THROWER-like approach. Later in the song, depth is made a priority with subtle symphonic elements.

The intro to "Darkening of My Soul" is sinister yet welcoming. With an intriguing voice-over that is fortified by a crushing riff, the track paves the way through the core of the EP with ease. Flowing nicely though the body of the song with great riff progression, it concludes the same way it started, just with a guitar solo to make it more epic.

The third and final track, "Unredeemed," shows the most mature songwriting. With atmospheric breaks surrounding its crushing riffs, the track makes for a grand finish. With all three tracks considered, Darkened is very good at maintaining consistent songwriting capabilities throughout their music. There is not one moment where the songwriting falters, nor is there a moment where the music is dull. Each song has elements interesting and plentiful enough to carry through to the end.

The quality in this EP does not just rest with the songwriting and content, but also with the production. The drums are pounding, giving the music a kinetic feeling. Outside of the drums, the guitars and vocals are both noteworthy in the realm of mixing.

"Into the Blackness" is a good 15 minutes of music. It's nothing revolutionary, but it also is not bad. It's just a few well-written tracks that showcase the talent of current and former members of classic and lesser-known Death Metal bands.