New kids on the block, Devil with No Name release their debut EP. Lets find out more about what the Arizonian 3-piece are about.

"Grand Western Apostasy" kicks off the EP with no intro, just a full-on melody going through the motions and the gears, reminds me of BEHEMOTH. The vocals hit and no momentum has been lost, the vocals aren't as coarse as I've heard, which is a good thing because you can follow them a lot easier. The harmonies working well between all sections of the band so far. There is a clear Blackened Thrash element about this song, the pace is set to a decent level and the tempo never bows down. This on will keep heads and feet tapping away nicely. For a while the song feels like it wont change, but just before the 4-minute mark it slows down for a few seconds before starting to build up again, its working away brilliantly. Such a technically gifted start to the album, it is amazing.

"Alleluia" continues the great pace, not as heavy to start off with, feeling more of a SATYRICON mixed with some IMMORTAL here. The beat soon picks up and allows a sense of progression to kick in. this song expands and experiments more, it doesn't change the tempo of the harmonies, but more like it changes directions, allowing us to hear the true beauty of these melodies. It keeps the song ticking off perfectly, the Thrash style slow down to re-kick in works so well again. 2 from 2 do far.

"Sycophants of the Covenant" sends the song out even faster than previously done. The power of the song is easy to hear from the start. The song doesn't remain on Thrash pace, but it is orchestrated so well that it doesn't matter. This one shows how much skill these guys have, to keep us guessing on how the song will sound as well as keep churning out new material styles. This has rawer aggression than before but it never loses its beauty, the execution of how the song is performed is phenomenal for a first release.

"Monad" will close out the album, and I for one am not ready for this to end, I want more material, and isn't that what you should feel at the end of an album? This has the SATYRICON slower style seeping through again, it's a great style to use when used correctly, and these guys do. It's a slower headbanger, it gets you in the flow without going into full pace, its a difficult to but well executed move. The song contains a little less experimentalism, but what it has as far as melodies are exactly what we love to hear. This one never flies off the handles, but nor does it fade away, it ends the album brilliantly and beautifully.

Give me more songs! If that doesn't sum up a great EP then I don't know what does. I can't wait to hear from these guys and in the meantime these songs will be going on my iPod. This is a great blend of Old School styles of Black Metal , mixed with the newer vibes of Blackened Thrash, its perfect. To say this is their first attempt as a band shows immense coherence as a group and that for me gave it more points and more credit. Would love to see this band hit up some festivals and gigs in the non-Lockdown period, if it ever ends, so more people can get into this band.