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From the wilds of Georgia comes the rebirth of one of the underground's unsung great bands. Cauldron Born have not released anything in a dozen years, but the band rises anew, led by mainstay/songwriter Howie Bentley and founded on the rhythm section from his other band Briton Rites. This is technically only an EP, but after so long, it is awesome to see the band still alive.

The disc opens up in grand fashion with the twelve-minute epic "Crom, Count the Dead", which shows that the Cauldron Born magic has not been diminished by time. A massive song with those trademark technical, intricate, yet heavy riffs and fantastical lyrics make this a feast for fans. The second song "The Temple of Abomination" is a similarly powerful tune that clocks in at just shy of eight minutes. Between the two of them, they make up twenty minutes of brand-new Cauldron Born music that slays like a scythe-wheeled chariot.

Sadly, those are the only two new songs. After that we get a good cover of Heavy Load's "Singing Swords", and then the four tracks off the band's original Sword, Sorcery, and Science demo from 1994. These tracks were previously collected on the God of Metal compilation from 1998, but here they are remastered to punch up the sound a bit, and anyway God of Metal is long out of print, so they make for a good value.

The new songs on here are so good I really, really want a new Cauldron Born full-length, and hell, I want a proper repressing of ...And Rome Shall Fall while we're at it. If you love old-school, brass-balled Heavy Metal with crunchy riffs and barbarian fantasy lyrics, then get this damned EP and don't hesitate.