Hartsbane - As Summer Dies [EP]

Right from the beginning of ‘’Tame’’ the quality is amazing. And don’t forget to mention that from the first note to the back of the booklet, everything about this EP is super polished! I absolutely LOVE it when a new band or project have literally everything right from the beginning. I firmly believe that it gives them a big head start.

Back to the music, ‘’Tame’’ is a great opener for this epic EP. I can’t stop listening to it (it is on Spotify, hint hint). I really love the lyrics from this song, you can hear they come from the heart. I love the guitar solo’s and the chorus melody as well. ‘’Nobody Knows’’ makes me wonder if this EP is recorded live, because you can hear Avira, counting in the beginning, as well as an audience. If this EP in fact is a live recording, I can not give Hartsbane enough compliments. However that does sound a bit too good to be true. But for know we can pretend until it is proven… Again, the lyrics on ‘’Nobody Knows’’ hit very close to home. ‘’Substitute’’ is a bit on the softer side, although the guitar’s melody throughout the song is very catchy. BUT, now we have proof that it is indeed a live recording! Holy cr*p! This makes the EP ten times more awesome and impressive than it already was!

‘’As Summer Dies’’ is obviously the title track of the EP and is equally awesome as all previous tracks. However I think lyrically wise the song is a bit on the weaker side, but who cares? This EP is amazing! The last track is ‘’Tomorrow's Rain’’, which is an acoustic track, a ballad if you will. I like that the band chose to close on a softer note rather than go out with a bang. Sometimes it leaves an even bigger impression. It shows vulnerability. In this track, Lev gets the full spotlight and he knows how to make use of that. Even though I can not see the performance, I know it is as good as it sounds. His voice is extremely beautiful.