‘From A Hideous Summoning’ kicks your face in a vicious and twisted way to start this little piece of vinyl. Never has NECROWRETCH sounded as sharp and vile as on this 7’’. Compared to the former mini called “Putrefactive Infestation”, it is obvious that the band matured a lot. Their previous work was already promising, but this is an excellent teaser before we finally get to listen to their first album in a (hopefully) not too distant future! The song starts in an unusual slow pace for NECROWRETCH, but soon gets quicker and damn efficient, with its crawling melodies and riffs à la NIHILIST. Though, I must say that nothing in the overall sound leans toward the now stereotypical and overused Sunlight syndrome. And that’s a good point. Influences are here digested and reinterpreted in a personal way, not copied for the sake of it. The guitar solo is also interesting and shows how Vlad worked on his instrument during the past months. Having seen them on stage twice I already noticed how fast and good the band’s evolution was, and this EP is just a confirmation of what I thought. Plus if you’ve got a soft spot for raw vocals à la MERCILESS, this EP is nothing but a winner. Too bad that Amphycion’s bass got a bit too buried in the mix. I think that a tad more presence from his side would add a well deserved dimension to the overall result. The drums are here handled by Mörkk who plays in the Black Metal band ALDAARON and also used to bash the skins in the French Heavy Metal squadron SANCTUAIRE, together with Amphycion. He’s apparently not going to play on the next releases of NECROWRETCH. Well, time will tell how the dudes handle the drummer’s position in the band. Next, we got the cover of a DEATH classic… ‘Zombie Ritual’. Pretty close to the original indeed, this is to be seen as a little bonus on the EP. Once more the insane vocals of Vlad bring the freshness on this interpretation of a Death Metal monument. Overall, you’d better get your copy as fast as possible before it gets sold out in no time. The signing of the band on Century Media will definitely get them a broad exposure and hence make this little piece of vinyl a soon to be collector’s item. And this because of the quality of the music delivered here of course. The official release of the EP is set on the 10th of March, exactly when NECROWRETCH will share the stage with BLIZZARD, SONNE ADAM and ASPHYX in Essen, Germany. www.necrowretch.net, www.myspace.com/vladrituals, www.facebook.com/pages/NecroWretch/211642972217903, www.detestrecords.com