It's not very often that a band impresses me so much with their debut release, but FATES DEMISE are obviously very good at what they do. Despite having problems with getting their line up together (they first formed back in 2008), they seem to have hit a winning formula, and this EP may only be 20 minutes long, but it tells me a lot about the band, and it's all good.

The band states their influence from many of the greats - PANTERA, IRON MAIDEN, IN FLAMES - from quite a few different genres, so that should give you a clue as to how many elements are in the music. They use a fantastic mix of clean and Death vocals, both styles vying for your attention whilst playing off each other very well. The Death vocals are more prevalent, but that's only because they're coming from the lead singer, Chris Olson, whilst the clean vocals come from guitarist Jon Blair. They're both very talented singers, with Olson's growling vocals still being very Melodic, and Blair's cleaner vocals having a lot of range. Unfortunately, within these 5 songs, there's not a huge amount of variation in terms of style, but they more than make up for this with the standard of the release, with chugging riffs, and excellent songwriting wherever you turn.

Now obviously, this review can't be as in depth as it would be for a full length release, but "Sins Of A Life Past" shows a lot of potential for this young band. There's clearly a lot of talent on show here, from the singing, to the guitars and the drums. And considering that this is only the debut, I think that with maybe a little more direction, and a little refinement, they can produce an awesome full length album.