Now, this was a nice surprise! Ultimate Fate are a Swedish symphonic heavy metal band hailing from the city of melodic death metal, Gothenburg. They started out in 2006, found their way, and in the early stages of 2009 they released The Road to our Fate EP and received one really enthusiastic review in a big Swedish newspaper. This band is female-fronted, a fact that’ll make some fans turn their head in disgust. Well just to let you know, I’m not overly fond of female vocals either, but let’s just say if you give this a chance, you will rather turn your head in the “WOW”-way. To be honest, when Burn kicked in with rather simplistic yet incredible riffs, I was so prepared for the vocals to ruin it, I barely took notice. However, Jennie “Nord” Södeberg caught me completely off guard with her incredible vocals. This is not your typical soaring operatic choir-like wails that you’ll hear more than often enough in any other female-fronted band. Her voice is thick, not very high-pitched, thus incredibly comforting as it’s smoothly layered over the gentle symphonic touches of session member Oscar Sjöberg.

As I mentioned, Burn kicks in with traditional juicy mid-paced heavy metal riffs that’ll make any metal-head closely pay attention. The vocals are clutching your ear with authority, and the excellent symphonic elements coupled with exciting melodies and a catchy chorus, makes this a killer track as it takes the first important step into satisfaction. Deathbringer starts off with a smooth piano-intro, before the actual songs strikes you with excellence using the same successful formula as before. The undeniable catchiness of the riffs, keys and vocals mixed together rather awe-inspiring, as I have yet to hear a debut in later years that has been of the equal quality as this. Forever continues on the same rightful path, with the same sparkling clutch that’ll grab you from the first moment on.

I don’t think I’ve been this excited for a fresh band in years. I can’t wait for the full-length which is due after the summer. That said, I’m a little skeptical if the use of the same formula that works for three songs will work for, say nine, without making it drag a little. Plenty of kudos to Ultimate Fate for stacking up a debut EP with proper production, proper songs, and not the least, a flawless performance. Their entire EP is streamed on their MySpace for free, so take a moment and check this out. Definitely recommended for all you prog/symphonic/power-heads out there, as this is a gem you’d definitely enjoy.