MEDUSIAN hailing from Gothenburg, Sweden were formed in 2023. The symphonic Death Metal outfit release their debut EP. “Toymaker” has a length of more than 23 minutes, and it is an independent release. The EP starts with a short, musical clock driven intro, transitioning into the title track. “Toymaker” is a track at measured tempo with dark melodies. The guitar riffing is tight and supported by prominent orchestral arrangements, mainly led by the strings and the brass. The vocals are predominantly clean vocals with occasional transitions to growls and screams. The clean vocals are around the medium end of the vocal range, while the growls are between the medium to higher end of the guttural range. Highlight of the opening track is the extended lead guitar solo. “Toymaker” has been released as video, and the YouTube link is provided below. “Bottom Of Well” starts with strong and crushing basslines. It is a slow, ballad-esque song especially during the verse parts, which are driven by the bass, the guitars, and the clean vocals. The chorus parts sound epic with the brass kicking on and some thunderous guitar riffing. The vocals switch to brutal growls and are accompanied by devastating guitar riffs and plenty of double-bass drumming. Once again, the extended lead guitar solo belongs to the best part of the track.

“Bull Of Crete” is a crushing track with thunderous guitar riffing and prominent orchestral arrangements. The vocals are versatile growls covering basically the whole guttural range during the verse part. The melodies are blood-freezing throughout the track. It is a track at a measured tempo. While the majority of the vocals are growls, the chorus line are clean vocals. There is female vocal support by guest vocalist Mina Giannopoulou (THE RAIN I BLEED), who adds higher pitched clean vocals. “Bull Of Crete” is symphonic Death Metal at its best and my favorite track on the EP. “Wandering Soul” is a one-minute orchestral pre-lude, transitioning into “Facestealer”, which has a frantic start at blistering pace with punishing riffs and blast-beat attacks. The track switches permanently highly paced parts and parts at a measured tempo. The slower parts are epic and driven by the orchestral arrangements. The vocals use the full range of cleans and growls. “Facestealer” is a very good song to finish the EP.

The debut EP of MEDUSIAN is interesting and a promising one. “Toymaker” is symphonic Death Metal with melodic Metal elements. The sound is epic at times, and the melodies are grim. The orchestral arrangements are prominent throughout and well composed. The most interesting part of the EP is the vocal contribution, which is a mixture of clean and growling vocals with seamless transitions between both vocal styles. The EP is well produced. MEDUSIAN deliver a good release and have a promising start to their career. Fans of symphonic Death Metal will love what they hear on “Toymaker” and time will tell where the journey of MEDUSIAN might go to.