As a preview to their upcoming album “Mind Revolution,” Hammerheart released an MCD (Mini-CD) otherwise known as an EP of some rare Skyfire songs. This is a nice treat for the fans to tide them over until the full album is released next month. The disc contains some special tracks and unreleased material that true fans will whole-heartedly enjoy.

The first track is “Haunted by Shadows” from the upcoming album. As I no doubt mentioned in my earlier review, this track has terrific bass work and a killer main riff. The vocals are great for the music and fully compliment it. I especially enjoy the scale-climbing guitar part during the chorus. The drumming is well done just like all of the other Skyfire songs. This song is quite unique and while some Children of Bodom influence can be heard (especially on the keyboard solo), it stands alone. The second track is “The Universe Unveils” which is taken from Skyfire’s first album. This song is more aggressive and less progressive than the newer material. It is a slightly different sound but that does not make it any less good. “The Final Story” is an early demo that was used to get a contract with Hammerheart. This track has some spectacular drum work and you can really hear the early sound of Skyfire and see how much they have progressed as a band and as a unit since then. The guitar sounds very raw and unpolished however this is to be expected from a demo. It is quite a short song though. The second demo is an early version of the song “Skyfire” which can be found on the first album. The instrumentation is quite different and the guitar again is very raw sounding. The keyboard has a slightly different effect here. The song is pretty much identical to the album version with a slightly different. This song has elements of folk music especially in the fast riffing. Quite a different feel from the more progressive tendencies of the new album. A demo of the song “By God Forsaken,” also from the first album is included. The song again is virtually identical with slightly different arrangement and instrumentation. One big difference is the solos, which are a lot less articulate than they are on the album. As mentioned earlier, Skyfire have really progressed from these early demos. The final song is “Free From Torment” which will be the bonus track on the Japanese release of “Mind Revolution.” I really like the haunting electronic vocal effects that are employed here. The guitars compliment the keys well here. The main melody is very techno-ish and is another welcome improvisation on the sound.

My sole complaint with this is that there is no cover. All the classic EPs that I have enjoyed always had a cover on them. I feel that EPs are the perfect places to put covers. It is also a nice treat to show the fans what the band feels is awesome music. That aside, the EP is a definite must for fans. I’m glad Skyfire put something out to tide us over until the bombshell that is “Mind Revolution” is released.