HOPELEZZ, one of Germany's prime Melodic Death Metal acts, are on the verge of releasing their second full length album, "Sent To Destroy" in the near future, and have recorded a short, three song EP, featuring the albums title track, as a small taster of what is to come on this upcoming release. What we have here is evidence of a band ready to take the Melo-Death scene by storm.

The first track on here, "Insomnia", is a razor sharp, modern take on Melodic Death Metal. The musicianship is high, the riffs are infectious and catchy, and it's all topped off by an incredibly polished production that really helps bring the track to life. It's very much in the vein of bands like SONIC SYNDICATE; heavy, yet very accessible and catchy. "We Are The Fire" leaps out of the speakers, and is characterised by groovy guitar leads and vocals that were just designed to be sung along to in live venues. Vocally, Adrian Vorgerd's performance on this song reminds me strongly of those of MACHINE HEAD's Robb Flynn, and it's clear that the man has quite a versatile vocal range. And then we come to the third and final track on this EP, the titular tune from their upcoming second album, "Sent To Destroy". This is very much a radio-friendly piece of Melodic Death Metal, with some genuinely interesting guitar and drum work on display. It's quite clear why the band have chosen to preview this track from the album on here; it's got brilliant musical hooks, a metallic chug, a fantastic guitar solo and a lot of mainstream appeal, all of which are essential qualities for piquing the interest of their fans and potentially drawing in new ones.

Although this is quite a short release, it is definitely a good one. If you love this band, this will more than likely get you completely stoked for the new album. It has great riffs, catchy vocal lines and amazing production. With any luck, the rest of "Sent To Destroy" will be just as epic as these three songs.<