Review by Felix on March 12, 2023.

Suomi never sleeps and given this fact it is nothing special that the next newcomer is ready to leave its impact on the global black metal scene. Of course I am talking about another one-man-army. Isn't it interesting how many creative people do not have any friends? But that’s not our problem, and the dude behind the “catchy” moniker Sieluhaaska probably also does not care about his isolation. Instead, he has recorded this four track EP. You find its highlights immediately, because it’s in the first position.

The lively title track is neither overly grim nor very harsh, but it distinguishes itself with a remarkably good flow. Especially the melody that shows up after roughly two minutes gives the song a broad dimension and adds a catchy element. Tremolo picking rules! The passionate screams of the artist are another positive detail and all genre fans who do not need musical mega-violence in each and every second will find some good stuff here. The solid 'Kaaoksen Syleilyyn' follows the same course. It does not lack coherence, but the lone wolf forgot to integrate another very strong melody.

The production shows no signs of weakness. Its sound commutes between underground and professional recordings. The music creates a pretty cold atmosphere, but this fact cannot hide that there is room for improvement in terms of the song-writing. Not every black metal musician is a natural born Greifi Grishnackh and so the Burzum-inspired mid-tempo closer fails to create the hypnotic effect that Varg’s best compositions possess. Aggravating the situation, the cover version on the third position is a complete downer, faceless, harmless and vapid. To be honest, Sieluhaaska has proved its potential with this release, but there is still a long way to go.

Rating: 6.3 out of 10