Forlorn - Hearts To War EP

Thanks to James for the CD. Three tracks on offer;

1. Living Death. Onslaught from the word go. Slows down into a groove-laden riff which precedes tempo changes galore. Vocals are of the standard barked variety but are surprisingly understandable.Snare sound needs a bit of work, sounds very thin during the blasting sections. Lots of aggressive and menacing riffing showcased on this track which sweeps along in death/blackened thrash style. Solid opener.
2. Hearts To War. Slower start with grinding riff. Main riff mutates as song develops, varying between complexity and brutality with a seemingly continually changing focal point. As only one guitarist is listed I am assuming the guitar work has been overtracked, basswork gets a little neglected in the overall mix unfortunately. Main solo is a belter and has an Obituary/Death feel to it. Tempo changes are well handled and they generate a lot of power during the slower sections.
3. Mindless. Bizarrely the opening riff reminded me of Hendirx's "Crosstown Traffic" for some reason, think it was probably the snare pattern. Quickly returns to blackened thrash/death. Less complex than the preceding tracks but more direct and driving, maintains a high level of viciousness and intensity throughout.

Overall impressions? Very promising. Production needs a tweak, snare gets lost at times and the phenomenal work of your bass player does not come through. Otherwise this is solid stuff and I look forward to hearing your next releases; be interesting to hear how you maintain this intensity over an extended EP or even full length album.