Long before being officially signed to a label, Swedish-based progressive death metal outfit Soreption were creating a stir amongst the European press.

Having now signed to Cube 1 Records (the label founded by Chris and Tommy Rehn of U.K./Swedish gothic metal act Angtoria, and who also produced the band’s debut effort), the five piece act (comprising of vocalist Fredrik Söderberg, guitarists Stefan Nordlander and Anton Svedin, bassist Rikard Persson and drummer Tony Westermark) are finally ready to show the rest of the world what all the fuss is about with their debut EP/DVD Illuminate The Excessive.

For a debut, the four tracks on Illuminate The Excessive (which have been given the numbers one to four, rather than actual titles) are pretty impressive. Sounding like a cross between Polish death act Decapitated (in the brutality stakes) and Death (in the progressive sense), Soreption sound tight and technically proficient on their musical instruments, even if a little lacking in terms of originality overall.

As an added bonus, Illuminate The Excessive also comes with a bonus DVD, of the band’s debut live performance at the annual Gatufest street festival in Soreption’s home city of Sundsvall. Running for just over seventeen minutes, Soreption run through all four of the tracks that feature on their EP, along with “9,” which is from their up-coming full length album to be released before the end of the year. While the footage is nice and clear, the editing jumps every now and then, which makes it a little frustrating and hard to sit through at times. Sound wise, the band are pretty spot on, but their stage presence tends to diminish their musical abilities.

Illuminate The Excessive is an impressive debut for Soreption, and one that definitely will earn them quite a few followers when their full-length hits the scene later this year.

www.myspace.com/soreption