Finland’s ARKADIA do not like releasing full albums. They like releasing demos and EPs. “A Drop For The Past” is the follow-up EP to 2007’s “Circle Of Distress,” and it appears that quite a few changes have been made since that last EP, nearly all of them for the worse.

For starters, most of the Power Metal trappings of the first EP have been ditched in favour of a rawer, dirtier Heavy Metal style. The riffs are no longer intricate and IRON MAIDEN-esque, but more languid and drawn-out. The title track chugs along at a yawnworthy pace, which is certainly a far cry from the brisk, energetic tracks found on “Circle Of Distress.” “If That Day Should Come” is a little better thanks to its epic feel, but not by much.

The second major issue is the vocals. They feel like they’ve actually gotten worse since the first EP, and in addition to that, the band has begun to experiment with some Death Metal voices. The growls feel out of place and add nothing to the quality of the songs. “Realization” is all but ruined by the vocals, which is a shame, because the riffs in the song are pretty decent.

Perhaps it’s a good thing that ARKADIA is still experimenting with EPs rather than releasing a full-length album, because they can’t seem to settle on what kind of sound they want. They’ve gone from decent Power Metal to subpar Heavy Metal with Death Metal trimmings. The old sound on “Circle Of Distress” sounded much more polished; “A Drop For The Past” is a bit of a mess.

(Online July 20, 2009)