Formed all the way back in 1980, NEPTUNE are a Melodic Metal act than squeezed out four demos in the early part of the decade with a view to releasing an album that never transpired. Fast forward almost four entire decades to 2018 and finally their demos get a release in the form of a compilation album "Land of the Northern". Several more singles and EPS followed before they finally managed a full-length album of new material in "Northern Steel". The band seems to enjoy revisiting their roots, as this four track EP "The Rebirth" consists of re-recordings of tracks from the original set of early 80s demos. To give it its due however, this material doesn't really sound like forty-year-old material that has just been rerecorded, although the writing is certainly of a time, the production makes it sounds quite fresh and modern.

First up is the driving opener "Enemies," The guitars are taut and punchy, and while there is some interesting work done with the backing vox, the vocals are not exactly earth shattering, Row Alex has a decent enough voice but doesn't seem willing to stretch it. The song barrels along quite predictably without breaking any rules or blowing any minds, but it is a solid enough offering with a quality guitar solo dropped in.

"Ready To Fight" is preceded by a smooth keyboard intro, before the main riff comes in, which is a typical Metal gallop. The choruses are done in a gang style and don't have a very memorable tune to them, but there is some decent harmonising guitar work from Anders Olsson and a spacey sounding solo. As with "Enemies" however, there's not enough going on to make a very interesting song, too much repetition and not enough invention. "Protector" improves on this somewhat with an enigmatic harmonised intro and then a driving riff with choral style backing vocals. While they sink back into their old ways on the choruses, there are more different shades, and more musical innovation than on the previous two songs.

"Hard To Be Right" slows the pace down, for a determined mid-paced foot stomping Metal extravaganza. This riff is quite exciting, and the song is delivered with real gusto. It's not enough to overcome the general tiring nature of the repetitive song writing, however. I feel this EP gets away with it being only four tracks long, but the band need to spread their wings a little if they are going to produce another listenable full-length release.