In this modern era of innovation when it comes to all things metal, it can be quite nice when a band enters a particular sound and brings naught but the straightforward and deadly to the table. That’s not to rag on the new and the daring in any form as they’re what keep things interesting and listeners always guessing what’s to come next, but there’s nothing quite like a tried and true formula done to tremendous effect. Melodic death metal has undergone quite a transformation in recent times thanks to bands like Countless Skies and Astralborne, yet few things can compare to when all of those colors were the enhancers for the intensity at hand rather than the main show. In no small way, Shores of Ithaka uses their debut EP to show us how it’s done excellently.

Pulling from clear influences along the likes of big melo-death names like Insomnium and Be’lakor, Shores of Ithaka clearly had their heads and hearts in the right place as they crafted the five tracks of “Those Chosen” as it quickly became a debut that packs way more of a wallop than I was initially expecting. It wouldn’t be any stretch of the imagination to say that Shores of Ithaka hasn’t done anything new for the world of melodic death metal whatsoever as their sound is absolutely something that we’ve heard many times over, but it’s with a clear vision and sense of grandeur that “Those Chosen” quickly rises from being a performance destined to sink into obscurity, but, rather, transforms into a body of work that stands as the first confident step forward for a burgeoning act. None of the people behind this act are inexperienced by any means with the combined past experience really being shown off at damn near every turn throughout the 40-minute runtime from the immense rhythms coming together beautifully with the mist-laden dirges that work perfectly alongside the very sound of waves crashing on the beach of a distant island where the very power of Shores of Ithaka reigns supreme, cowering all who come before it. Utterly gripping and undeniably intoxicating practically right from the beginning, Shores of Ithaka has poised itself magnificently with “Those Chosen” as another up-and-coming name in the world of melodic death metal that we need to surely keep an eye on.

And here I thought it wouldn’t be until the next creation from the likes of Eternal Storm that I would come upon a piece like this that manages to do this brand of melodic death metal in such an efficient and impressive form. Not a single misstep to be far no matter how scrupulous I dare to be, “Those Chosen” stands incredibly tall to show us that already at the very beginning Shores of Ithaka is not here to mess around in any way, shape, or form.

LISTEN to “Those Chosen” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Shores of Ithaka on Facebook here.