Upon my first listen, I really liked the EP. My first thought upon seeing that it was only three tracks and not a full album was one of slight disappointment. But the fact that it’s a three-song EP doesn’t necessarily mean it has a short running time. With the songs running in the seven-to-eight-minute range, it makes for a decently long release at just over 25 minutes. It’s actually fairly long for a three-song EP.

I’m always a fan of the death/doom sound, and Reekmind creates a dark horror environment that brings images of graveyards and skeletons to mind. With vocals in a mid-to-low guttural range, dirty guitar lines and drums that hit like a shovel striking dirt, it all makes for a release with a midnight-horror atmosphere.

The tremolo-picked guitar riffs have a certain midnight-shovelling grittiness to them. At times, I thought some of the rhymes and lyrics seemed a little basic, but the vocal tone made up for it.

My favourite song is “Flesh Draped on a Pitiful Frame.” After an eerie introduction, the feedback comes in, with the drums following shortly afterward. The music isn’t particularly fast or slow.

At times, when the guitar is tremolo-picked, the drums contradict it by playing more slowly. At other times, the guitar is played in a more drone-like style while the drums become faster. This creates a steady push-pull effect that fits perfectly within death/doom metal.

There’s a section between riffs where the guitar drops out. When the drums come back in, someone delivers an atmospheric moan that builds into a scream, adding even more to the environment. I particularly like the extremely low vocals that appear about halfway through the track.

The guitar riffs aren’t particularly memorable, but they always suit the music’s horror atmosphere. There isn’t much happening in terms of lead guitar, but because of the EP’s length, its absence never feels like a problem.

“Cyst Megalith” fits perfectly into the death/doom genre with its brutal vocals and powerful yet groovy drumming. The section that stood out to me the most was the cool, almost groovy outro riff that continues for approximately the final minute and a half.

The final track, “Rehearsal in a Body of Death,” is once again graveyard music that I found sounds best early in the morning or late at night, when the sun isn’t out. The section that stood out to me the most was the cool pinch harmonics in the outro guitar riff.

The artwork feels reminiscent of old-school comic books with its black-and-white colour scheme. The bolt of lightning striking a skeletal scene might be what gave me the graveyard impression, but it’s presented in an interesting way that almost makes the entire cover look like a logo. The actual Reekmind logo appears in the top-left corner and is designed in a similar art style.

As the feedback fades, Glints from the Crematorium by Reekmind proves to be a good EP to listen to late at night or early in the morning—either way, when it’s dark outside. I’m glad to promote Reekmind and will be adding the EP to my Bloodhymn playlist. 🤘