I always enjoy getting three song demos and EPs for review. Just something simple and unconsuming to cover, making me more forgiving as I'm not suddenly forced to devote an hour of my time to something I'm seriously uninterested in. The worst thing that could happen is that I lose fifteen minutes.

It also helps if the release in question is a little more unconventional. Frosthold aren't doing anything fantastically strange or out of the ordinary, but they're good for what they're set out to do - playing bleak and almost thrashy black metal with a touch of classic feel and a bit of ingenuity with their somewhat progressive guitar parts. The production is a little iffy at particular times - sometimes the bass drum blasts over the other instruments and then just completely cuts out and the vocals have a minor tendency to get lost. Not terribly bad for an unsigned demo, though. The few slower and woeful passages are fantastic while a lot of the riffs in the verses are simply sort of average in quality, but should be commended for their willingness to explore. "Into The Underworld" stands out far beyond the other two tracks on the EP as it's the song that sounds the most like the riffs belong together and were written in succession instead of as a result of playing what feels most comfortable.

If the band sticks around and continues to evolve and push their unique qualities even further and bring a bit more energy into their sound, they could make a name for themselves. As it is, Frosthold could go either way.