From Bandcamp, Canadian Metalcore band AQULIA state about the new album, "We started writing for this EP in 2020. The pandemic made it very difficult to get together. We also had to find a new guitarist. Once Tony joined the band he quickly learned the songs and started helping us record and mix ourselves. No pressure, just us in our element. I think the growth and maturity in our sound on this Ep is obvious. This EP is us, brutal and in your face." The album contains four songs.

"The Great Fire" is the first. It's a slow and heavy song with a rough, weighted grind. The vocals are partially whispered at first while the guitars hold down the bottom end. Then, they come roaring out. There is a little variation in the riffs, but they are pretty straightforward. "Emperor's Curse" continues with the theme, but it's an eight-minute opus. Again, the riffing is what needs work here. I love Metalcore, but typically only when bands can bring something a little new to the table. But, this is their first attempt at an album, so you know there will be some growing pains. The middle sections drags on for just a bit too long but doesn't really go anywhere.

"A City Risen" is another hard and heavy offering. As I often mention, many bands out there can create brutal music. But Metal is so much more than that, especially for the style. The boundaries are pretty forgiving in terms of creativity, but resting on open notes is too easy, so many bands take the bait. "The Plague of Galen" closes the EP. It a little more adventurous, but still falls flat. There are some guitar harmonies but as the band mentioned in the opener, the EP is mostly about brutality. I have said this many time before, brutality will only take a band so far when composing music. This is their first album, so you can't fault them for going straight for the throat. Perhaps for the next release however, they can think of a way to do a little more with the Songwriting