Coming out of Louisville, Kentucky is Volcandra with a brand new 4 song EP jam-packed and overflowing with melodic Black Metal fury. Their 2020 debut full-length debut, Into the Azure, was met with tons of fanfare thanks to their science fiction futuristic driven songwriting approach and furious live performances. Border World (Prosthetic) is just enough to satisfy their fan’s appetites until another proper full length can be produced.

‘Tallon IV’ leads the charge with a slow build and a flashy lead that quickly ascends into a fury of darkness. David Palenske’s vocals take full command here blending perfectly with Mike Hargrave’s pummeling drum work. This track is an interesting blend of a multitude of extreme metal genres, parts are melodic death while others have a much more black metal feel.

‘Resonance Cascade’ opens with a classic metal intro that quickly blasts you with a thick barrage of thrash-inspired chugging riffs. Hargrave slows things down for a more deep and guttural vocal delivery. Volcandra does a great job switching styles and tempos on this track all the while keeping the song very melodic. The ending solos on this track are downright incredible and perfectly fade out at the end.

‘Colossi’ brings some slower elements to the EP with some additional haunting acoustic passages in the mid part of the track. The guitar duo of Jamie DeMar and River Jordan continue their melodic and punishing rhythm section.

‘Guardian’ closes out the EP. The song starts with a victorious almost power metal feeling. Again, Volcandra showcases how easily they can blend and turn different genres on their heads without sacrificing any melody. The only drawback to Border World is that there are only four tracks. This is an incredible listen and I am already hungry for more.

Buy the EP here: https://volcandra.bandcamp.com/album/border-world

9 / 10

ANDREW RISCH