Review written by Glenn “Terra Shredder” Van Bockstaele.

Misshapen is a Canadian melodic death metal band formed in 2015 and last year they released their independent debut EP “Transcendence,” sent to us by our favorite Canadian metal supplier Asher Media Relations!

The EP begins with the beautifully atmospheric “The Pressures of Time Pt 1,” a peaceful song that gradually increases in power and eventually transitions into Pt 2. A track that instantly pounds you with blasting drums, high-octane guitars, various clean and extreme vocals and some background piano! It’s a sweet death/power metal cocktail. Next up is “The Swarm,” a significantly heavier and more symphonic track with furious blast beats played alongside bombastic keyboards and main vocalist Lana bringing out the Arch Enemy within her. Add to that the black metal touches and the soaring guitar solos and you’ve got yourselves one hell of a versatile track!

In “Strong Man’s Will,” the vocalist trio of Lana, Mitch and Adam is on full display, particularly in the chorus wherein the clean singing gets echoed by harsh shrieking. And aside from that, the song’s powerful riffs and keyboards provide a lot of bombastic epicness! This short EP ends with the lengthy Transcendence title track, a progressive tune wherein the slow, psychedelic parts and gentle vocals go back and forth with the vicious death metal beats and grunts and thus creating a dreamy/nightmarish atmosphere.

Misshapen’s debut EP features a variety of catchy, powerful vocals, mighty guitar & keyboard riffs and brutal beats, making this one small but great package for everyone who digs bands like Arch Enemy, Fleshgod Apocalypse or Children of Bodom! Here’s the music video for “The Swarm.”

90/100