Finland’s Profane Omen kicks it up several dark notches on their follow-up EP to the excellent debut, Beaten Into Submission. Where that album was mostly some straight-up grade A –ass whooping, Disconnected is a lot more bleak and apocalyptic in it’s aggression.

Bleak is exactly the word to describe the intro broadcast, which unceremoniously but with suitable black humour let’s the listener know that the nuclear powers of the world – along with the pope – have deemed the human race despicable enough for complete annihilation. Then the title track rips out with a mighty riff and abrasive drum fire. Singer Jules Näveri can still morph from a raging beast to a Layne Staley-like crooner in the snap of a finger. Somebody tell me already what the guy eats to get such a variety from his throat!

In Fear goes more old school with the guitar work, thrash beats and hardcorish attitude. The great solo maintains a rocking vibe throughout keeping melodies ahead of flashiness. Breed Suffocation, Breed Extinction tries to fool you with a slow intro but quickly tears itself apart with double kick drums and a very catchy, singalongable chorus. Female vocals are used to contrast Näveri in the middle and it works very well.

So far the songs have maintained an extremely moshable atmosphere with speed and force. Learning To Die, however, does something completely different. The clan intro leads to plodding and merciless riffs that accompany the lamenting singing for some powerful chills. I have to give huge love for that bass sound that just bursts through the entire soundcape – as it is on the whole disc. The song reminds me of Machine Head’s marvellous Descend The Shades Of Night so far. The Black League’s Taneli Jarva lends his voice to add some more manly gloom. Then after about five minutes and some feedback noise the tune morphs into an acoustic jam complete with hand percussions – just mindblowing. This section in turn brings to memory the greatness that is Death’s Voice Of The Soul. Is that a bass solo I hear? Beautiful. To end this even slightly proggish monster, the band hits the doom-laden distortion gear for a few more bars before closing it with a mid-paced steam-roller with Jules screaming an absolutely insane coda for it all. I can almost picture him writhing on the studio floor when recording.

To round the EP up, there are two steroid-injected cover versions, of Skid Row’s Slave To The Grind and WASP’s Wild Child. They are quite faithful versions of the originals, except a lot faster and heavier. The minor ska-section in Wild Child is also very entertaining, made me horgh. The production on the record, in addition to the awesome bass, is very good. Overall this EP leaves me very hungry for the next full length that these maniacs will probably complete within 2008. If Disconnected is any indicator, the Top 15 of the year will feel a brutal dent once it is released.