From Bandcamp, “ The EP is a tribute to our home country, Finland: its beauty, its history, and our deep, often complicated connection to its nature. The music takes a slightly wilder turn than our previous releases raw, direct, and melancholic, in the Finnish way. This wasn’t a stylistic choice as much as a necessity. The stories we tell demanded this sound. Lyrically, “Pohjoinen Sydän” explores several intertwined themes. We reflect on the midnight sun, a phenomenon both mesmerizing and deceptive. Beautiful, yes, but also symbolic of things hidden: emotional isolation, restlessness, and the subtle erosion of our bond with nature. We speak to the growing urbanization of our country and the quiet fading of traditions that once defined us.”

The EP has four songs, and “Kuolematon Aurinko” is first. The opening tones are weighted, and solemn, and the riffs are hardened. Harsh vocals complete the sound. It is a steady pace from there, until it slows after the halfway mark, with some clean vocal harmonies, before the hardened riffs return. “Talvi” is both deeper and darker in scope, and the solemn tones really come through strong. So does a bit of hope, but these moments are fleeting. The lead breaks drip with emotion that can best be described as a longing for something better. “Luoto Ja Sydan” is a 13-minute opus, and gives the band plenty of time to explore. The thud of heavy bass notes provides the entrance, along with clean, solemn guitars. From there, and aggressive sound takes over. It waxes and wanes, like the ocean tide, in and out of softer passages and firmer ones.

“Memoriam (Suomi Version)” closes the EP, and it seems to wrap up the EP with a familiar sound, carrying forth the themes of our interconnectedness with nature, and the nostalgia of yesteryear. The lead breaks are fantastic, and I also appreciate the more tender moments. This was an excellent EP, and, as a listener, it brought me into the themes and enveloped me with their memoir. Although the music had a hard and aggressive edge to it, the more ethereal moments provided balance to the EP. I am very interested in finding out where the band goes from here.