It’s been a long three years since EARLY MAN bestowed us with the prime cut known as Closing In. The new four song EP, Beware the Circling Fin, picks up where the band left off and has injected more aggression and grit. Opening song, “Sinking the Blade,” is a thrashing number that sounds like a cross between MEGADETH’s Killing is My Business and METALLICA’s Kill ‘Em All. The opening guitar solo even sounds like Dave Mustaine wailing away in 1982. “Coiled like a Snake” continues the classic thrashfest with plenty of urgency and effortless songwriting perfection. The lead guitar parts really add character and take this song to a new level. The title track is an ominous number with an almost hypnotic beginning song section before heading into more dangerous waters. Band leader/vocalist/guitarist Mike Conte unleashes some of his great falsettos and a vocal tone that is reminiscent of DIAMOND HEAD’s Sean Harris. Closing song, “Suck Me Dry,” is pure New Wave of British Heavy Metal that does its damage and leaves in a mere 1:31. While being “retro” or “old school thrash” is the latest played out fashion that metal labels are trying to cash in on, EARLY MAN supersedes all of that irrelevancy by making music that is simply top notch. The band clearly has a great understanding of what makes music “classic.” Beware the Circling Fin is not just the name of this release but an analogy for EARLY MAN’s inevitable rising success. (The End Records)