Time Signature Where groove meets melody...

Genre: melodic modern metal

Dead Earth Politics have chosen to release their material in small packages, this being the most recent in a string of EPs and just one full-length effort. Well, I guess the principle that good things come in small packages applies here.

The listener is treated to five tracks which, true to Dead Earth Politics' style, combine melodic elements from traditional metal with groove metal and a tad of thrash metal. All five tracks are considerably melodic and, rather than just churning out one pentatonic riff after another, Dead Earth Politics deploy melodic twin guitars and somewhat sophisticated song structures. Just check out 'Balancing the Broken Scales' or 'Wretched Things'. The choruses are also very melodic and have a certain sing-along appeal. In fact, while there are groovy elements, this EP has much more in common with both traditional metal and melodic modern metal than your stereotypical groove metal.

For a self-released EP, the production is very good, and professionalism emanates from the release. The songwriting displayed on the album is top notch, and the band's affinity for melody is particularly attractive. The vocals have a dark feel to them and are perhaps best described as falling somewhere between black album era James Hetfield and "Draconian Times" Nick Holmes peppered with a couple of growls and screams.

I was very positively surprised with this EP. Fans of melodic modern metal should definitely check this one out.