Formed in 2016 while on the night shift, HALVEKSIA has slowly been coming together and released their debut EP on March 26, 2021. Full of riffs and inspired by a mix of Doom, Gothic Rock and Melodeath, they have written themselves into a Death/Doom style. "Miasma" contains four lengthy tracks.

"The Rift" opens the album, with soft guitar notes that soon turn into heavy strikes. Harsh vocals almost sound guttural, but do stretch out to near screams in some areas. A deep growl is held for effect, followed by some lead guitar notes. Suddenly, the song takes a bit of a shift, ramming that riff down your throat with power and passion. It picks up steam and sprints towards the end. "Shallow Graves" enters with a thick guitar riff and heavy bass notes, followed by harsh vocals. The production is right where you want it for the genre...just a bit muted. Some fuzzy leads come in, then the bass guitar takes over with thick, low rumbles that shake the very ground you walk on. The riff turns more powerful, and then it ends on a low held note.

"Miasma Pt 1" opens with soft rain and couple rumbles of thunder. Pretty but sad piano notes lead the way. Tom drums roll in quietly, followed by bass guitar. The slow and melancholy notes carry the track forward, with some guitars and spoken words towards the end. "Miasma Pt 2" begins with harsh vocals and a lumbering riff. Some soft vocals are whispered for just a spell but then the harsh vocals return. Some lead notes come in around the half-way mark, then it shifts with the advent of clean guitars and more spoken words. A laugh leads to a harrowing last few minutes.

HALVEKSIA have done a nice job on their debut album here. The piano track was quite lovely, while the other three songs were deep cuts of Death/Doom Metal. They aren't necessarily trying to re-create the wheel when it comes to the genre, but it's a genuine slab of music that rocks you to your core. They still have some room for improvement, mainly in expanding their sound a bit with some more diversity. You can purchase the album here: