Side A: In the Eyes of Ioldánach EP
Side B: Track 1 taken from "Gummo" Soundtrack
Tracks 2 - 5: Live in Toulouse-France - April 28, 1997

400 on gold vinyl Gatefold cover. Includes A2 sized poster and two-sided A4 catalogue sheet from Osmose Productions.

We see Absu at their tightest on this EP. The production is perfect for their style, the drumming is insane and Proscriptor's vocals sound possessed! The guitars are right and intense, as they should be. Essentially, everything is clicking on all cylinders for 4 songs on this second part of a three-part album trilogy.

The version of Manannan is arguably better on this EP than on Tara because of the production and the outro solo that is actually audible. The production makes it sound a lot more crushing than on Tara. One could argue that if Tara had this production rather than the overpowering drum production it currently has it would be an even more amazing album.

Overall, the music is absolutely relentless and thrashy with black metal vocals from Proscriptor, who holds one of my favorite voices in the black/thrash scene. Absu has always had really catchy tremolo picking and nothing is different here. Also, as with most of Absu's efforts, Proscriptor's drumming is the main highlight of the EP because he does some really complicated drumming rhythms really fast, which has never failed to impress me. Never Blow out the Eastern Candle provides some really catchy and relentlessly heavy parts, and is arguably the highlight of the album, if one had to be picked. In general, the music is VERY tight and very thrashy. I can't think of a band that pulls of pure black/thrash better than Absu does.