HERETOIR is a Post Black Metal band formed in Germany in 2006. Following the previous release of two full-lengths in 2013 and 2017, they are back with an EP titled "Wastelands." Three of the songs are studio, and three are live. "Anima" is the first. Beautiful melodic tones come spilling out of a landscape of pure desolation. Drums roll frantically, as the guitars hold steady harmonies. The combination of clean and harsh vocals works perfectly...and the chorus is a bright spot in an otherwise hazy world. "At Dusk" is another shining star on a clear night's sky. Ethereal tones come from the subdued vocals. Dusk is a magical time of the day. Depending on how you look at it, it is either a period of time when everything just looks beautiful, or it is a time when everything is dying. Either way, this song is gorgeous.

The title track is a slower grind with more desolate tones. Still, the beauty of the earth is there for the taking. The clean vocals impart so much emotion that can barely be contained, and the harsh vocals are cries of desperation. "Golden Dust" is another song that captures the beauty of depression so well. What is beautiful about depression you ask? It's the way you look at a dying flower, or a dark spot in the sky, or how there is a certain poetry when someone gives up. It all depends how you look at it. "Exhale" features more hardened tones that lessen with frustration. When you've been screaming for hours, the relief you feel at the end somehow justifies the experience. The machine gun drums, and harsh vocals represent you at your worst.

"The White" closes the album. It's a bit darker and sharper in its attack, but there are also moments of pure bliss. As the sun fades from the sky, you watch in awe. Even though it is something that happens each and every day, it is still no less magnanimous, for it means that you get a reset the next morning. I personally feel that this phenomenon is one of the things that keeps us going in a world of hurt. It's something about connecting with your spiritual side. That is how the album made me feel. My only critique is that I wish there were more songs on the EP to enjoy.