Finnish duo, Arkhamin Kirjasto, initially recorded these three songs at the same time as their debut Torches Ablaze, which makes it glaringly obvious that these are the tracks that didn’t quite make the cut the first time round, but the band wanted to release them anyway.
The EP opens with its namesake and leans towards heavy doom influences. The track depicts the rather unholy story of a priest raising the undead, yet sounds almost saintly in execution. The juxtaposition between the two elements works rather well and is reminiscent of some of Ghost’s early releases.
‘The Nomad’ again employs a religious undertone as it talks of a revenant wanderer who slaughters everything he comes across. Much more fast-paced, this track is almost psychedelic but severely lacking substance and is over before it even begins.
Final track ‘Spellbound & Tortured’ tells the story of a sadist wizard, but again there isn’t much to this musically and it ends before you really feel you’ve had anything to listen to.
Overall, these guys would have been better off if they’d have left these tracks unreleased or included them on another full length. There isn’t enough here to make a judgement of what the band sounds like and for those that were hooked when listening to ‘Torches Ablaze’ this will prove a dreadful waste of time, as the quality pales in comparison to its predecessor.
4/10
Angela Davey