FORGED IN BLACK is a Heavy/Thrash band formed in the United Kingdom in 2103, formerly known as MERCILESS FAIL, which formed in 2007. The band released their debut LP in 2013. "Reflecting Fear" is their second EP release, and contains four tracks on an independent label. The title track to this EP is over seven minutes long. There is a slow build-up to what eventually becomes a maddening track, featuring a heavy vibrato laden voice, and some riff and meter changes here and there. It borders on the Classic/Power Metal style at times, minus the dragons and vibrant imagery. Traditional melody however takes a back seat to a sound that can best be described as dark and heavy, with an overuse of minor chords.

"1000 Wings" is similar in pace and sound. The vocals are clearly the heart of their sound, and the bass and guitars struggle to create much in the way of a thickness. The chorus is a little more memorable but again the minor chords dominate the landscape and don't leave any room for much else. "Renegades Of The Last Rite" does not see any deviation from this gameplan. At times the vocals are out of key with the riffs and it leaves you with a disconnected feeling. Darkness aside, the song struggles to have a sense of identity. The twin guitar harmonies are always a nice way to push melody but in this case, they just aren't making much of a mark. Classic harmonists like Murray/Smith, or Downing/Tipton understand the key to being a memorable duo is finding a strong melody line to build on. This just falls short of that.

"The Shadows Still Remain" closes the album, with lackluster. I haven't heard any of this band's previous work but this EP could have perhaps benefitted from some better songwriting at its core. The vocalist is strong and could really make for some versatile material but the instrumentation just falls flat. Sometimes it sounds like they were not made to go together and that's where it really stands in the end. There is potential here with their musicianship but this EP isn't anything to get excited about.