Canadian Lutharo Unleash the Beast may be a short little EP, but it has makings of a harbinger of a quality band at the outset of their career. Throughout its 25 minutes you will experience non-stop excellent, energetic, forward looking mix of speed, thrash and melodic death metal.

After a short Intro Dead Ringer and the title track right away launch into this bubbly churn. Five-six minutes song fly by buttressed by quality songwriting, fluid solos and multiple rhythm changes from intense blasting to focused double bass to drawn out rolls. Above these shapeshifting movements Krista Shipperbottom reigns supreme, growling like Angela Gossow, screaming like Rob Halford or Nina Osegueda (A Sound of Thunder) and displaying all kinds of range in between. Sounds exciting? I think so, and I am not exaggerating. Unleash the Beast is like a freshly dug unpolished, yet precious, jewel which glistens on all of its sides. The EP never relents. Black Scorpion goes seamlessly from gallop to slamming and Krista goes all out on the song title/chorus line, which is destined to raise hairs on the collective backs of appreciating live crowds.

In a touch of maturity, Temple of the Damned hooks and drags along at a slightly slower pace, and its riffs for some reason remind me of American death metal band Abysmal Dawn. More spread out in terms of rhythm (can’t believe the bottom end of Lutharo, both bass guitar and drums, are handled by the same person), Temple of the Damned sears the skin just the same, applying the fiery brand. The closing melodic licks would make Amott brothers proud.

Surprise of the Month if there was one, Lutharo deserves to be noticed so somebody can make the production even more in your face and louder. Full-length, if one is in the making, would be worth seeking out.