Finland, the capital of metal, has a new offering to the table, that being Helsinki's Stråle. Their newest EP "Reformation" covers all sorts of bases, but also sticks close to their usual sound of modern metal, Scandinavian-infused melodies, and a nice dosage of positive and uplifting messages, not to mention explosive live shows. After their first release "Bourbon Souls" back in 2020, the group revised the lineup, and began to work. "Reformation" has a nice team behind the scenes too, with producer Teemu Aalto being in leagues with Finnish legends Omnium Gatherum, and mixer/masterer Jacob Hansen in leagues with Volbeat. This EP has got my hopes up - let's see if they can keep it.

The first track features Bjorn "Speed" Strid, a vocalist most known for leading the Swedish melodic death metal band Soilwork. The modern-era metal elements shine hear, with bombastic melodies and lyrics. The slight edge to it grabs the listener's attention, and I can definitely see this getting some Nordic radio play. The additional vocals come in handy, and the typical guitar wankery is present. The song is bite-sized, and easily digestible. I may be humming the chorus in the shower tonight... The next song, "Close Is Not Enough," is much calmer, with a slick AOR feel to it, but nothing else about it is remarkable. "The Heart You Tore Apart" is third, and, well, fits the exact same description. There's really not much going on, and the basic lyrics are very cliche. Fourth up, "Destined For Desire," and I am getting almost annoyed by how similar these tracks feel. The soaring electric guitars never deviate from the first sound they've made, and the drums/riffs are basic. A track that actually may bring a surprise to Stråle's sound is their cover of The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights," also their most streamed song. The memorable melody actually gets my head moving, and I'm glad to say they did well on this cover, as the original song, if distorted enough, could sound like a Stråle song. Even though I'm not sure why this cover was added, but it is a nice little break. The last song on the project is "The Flame," sadly continues the unpolished polished-ness of the EP. 

Stråle's "Reformation" doesn't stand out in the metal world. It's not offensive at all, but no rules have been broken and no boundaries have been pushed. The definite highlights are with featured artists and cover songs, and that says a lot as the best songs need help from other artists or are simply covers. The AI artwork doesn't help their identity at all, either.