I took quite an immediate interest in WOJTEK for the name, and the story behind it, alone. Namely, that WOJTEK is also the name of a Syrian brown bear that was enlisted by the Polish army during the second world war... Yes, you read that right. Let it sink in.... WHAT!?! Anyway, it is also a young Italian five-piece band having recently released their second EP, "Does This Dream Slow Down Until It Stops?". The artwork is very simple, the skeleton of an animal on a black background, I'm not too sure what animal it is though.

Opening the EP is "Catacomb", its dense, its heavy, it is a pit that will swallow you hole. Full of superheavy riffs, a brutal drum tracking and a vocal line that is just full of emotion. It exhumes pain, anger and despair. Whilst the track builds and builds it really comes into its own in the second half, with a guitar that break that just adds another element, its an almost vulnerable addition that takes it from being a good track, to being great.

"Desensitised" comes flying back in with energy, blistering pace and that aggressive personality that just keeps pounding away at you. It is another wall of impenetrable noise, that is until quite suddenly is becomes more sparse. More confusing as we take stock of what just happened and the intricacies are back. The guitar break that comes in again is absolutely invaluable from what it adds to the track; that's not to say that without it it would be a poor track, I just feel that its addition really polishes off the performance.

"Rednetrab" ... Now, call me cynical, but if you try reading that backwards.... It spells bartender, or bar tender?.. A happy coincidence, or planned? Anyway, enough with the superfluous. It is... disturbing, that is about all I can really say about it. Have a listen and let me know what you think!

I'll leave the final track as a surprise for the listener. But this EP is a great release, all of the musicians come together in a well polished and immaculate performance. I think the track that has to be listened to, would be "Catacomb". For a band that are so young, this is a release to more than just be proud of, it shows musical knowledge and maturity well beyond their years. The Extreme Metal scene could use a shake up maybe WOJTEK could be the ones to provide that. I would also volunteer to dress up as a brown bear at a show and just run around the pit!