HIRAETH

Consisting of the band's earliest material, the band's Hiraeth EP reveals the band emerging fully formed as if from the head of Athena. While it's not entirely clear if the material has been re-recorded, the compositions here are very strong, not at all what one would expect from a band yet to record even its first demo. The performances, regardless of whether this is a re-recording, are of the high standard one would expect from this august band, and the recording quality is particularly good for a limited release (although the mastering could be better; there's some clipping). This material isn't as good as the material on The Aurora Veil or the band's two full lengths, but it is still well worth hearing for fans of this band. It will probably be almost impossible to track down a physical copy of this release, but it's possible the band will release the material digitally at some point in the future, and it's strongly recommended you acquire it if they do.