This act is also large, at six members. One of the EP's unusual inclusions is Tove Lo's "Talking Body." You'd never know this was a R&B hit if you didn't already know it, however, because the vocal is raw and scratchy, and the drum, bass and guitar parts are pummeling. It's strange to hear lyrics about how one can make another cry, using this genre of music. These are not babies complaining; they're hard rockers.

While this is a tightly performed collection of songs, the band doesn't always separate itself well from other similar acts. Unfortunately, many of the current metal bands have fallen into cliché territory. Before heavy metal became a kind of commodity, it was just categorized has hard rock. And it was easy to tell the difference between Black Sabbath and AC/DC. You'd never confuse Deep Purple with Led Zeppelin. These were unique bands, that just happened to rock hard. However, the new breed of metal bands seem to be followers, not leaders. Sure, a true aficionado can tell all the various popular acts apart. But if Five Hundredth Year wants to transcend its genre, it's going need to show a more distinctive identity than revealed here.