One of the things I've always loved about Relapse Records is their EP releases. New bands on the label generally record a three to five song mini-album and hit the tour circuit soon after signing. Still, I've never been sure whether this is a money-saving measure or a way for young bands to get their toes wet in the studio before diving in and recording a full length release. Either way, pleasant memories of early MASTODON, DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN and BURNT BY THE SUN releases have trained me to keep an eye out for Relapse EPs when possible.

INVERLOCH's first Relapse release takes the format mentioned above. "Dusk...Subside" is made up of three songs, and the band includes former members of the widely respected DISEMBOWLMENT. Slow, long songs are the norm here, and I would describe the overall sound as sluggish Death / Doom.

Opener "Within Frozen Beauty" waits about 30 seconds before a sparse guitar opening begins. Drums slip in, and a simple, open stoner groove begins. This gentle opening makes the dose of Death Metal even more off-putting when it dashes in at the two minute mark. This multi-tempo shred section channels the classic Death Metal of days past before settling down about a minute later. After a lengthy guitar solo, the opening riff returns with a bit of thickness smeared on top. Then, the last section of the song is approximately 1:30 of eerie keyboard textures.

From start to finish, "The Menin Road" is a slow-mo sandwich of grueling Doom and growled vocals. Moving like a sloth, this lumbering song is six minutes of lead-heavy lethargy. Yet there's still something epic about the grumbled vocals, down-tuned guitar and simplistic drumming. Again, the final minute of the song is more moody keyboard.

The final track, "Shadows Of The Flame", kicks in at about the one minute mark. A spacey guitar line finds a home over open chords and mid-paced drumming. That is until the blast beats kick in a minute later. At two minutes, whiplash is sure to occur when the song slows abruptly to a menacing chug. The riff stays slow while the drummer switches between Doom to Death Metal paces again and again. Finally the song settles into speed for a lengthy section before a flair of mid-paced destruction is followed by a gentle guitar line that moves to the end of the track.

Well, this release is another feather in Relapse Records' debut EP hat. The combination of Doom and Death here adds interest to the proceedings, and it should be interesting to watch INVERLOCH evolve and develop before recording their first full-length album.