This is the only true flower metal song I’ll ever recognize as such and it’s a shame that it would be Sonata Arctica that would end up stereotyping themselves by performing it, one of the worst covers ever conceived. Doesn’t matter how melodic the solos on here are, this song is fucking lame. And worst of all, it’s terribly faithful to the original with only a mild SA spin on things. So if all of the other tracks can be found on other releases, what purpose does this album serve any longer? Well there is exactly one exclusive track, a cover of Bette Midler’s “The Wind Beneath My Wings.” Do a double take if you have to, but that’s seriously what song they do on here. Kakko sings it better than Dickinson did, but the keyboards detract a bit from the original’s badassness, as do the weird vocal effects at the end. That song is a cover of Iron Maiden’s “Die With Your Boots On,” performed relatively faithfully to the original. But just as with “Black Sheep” being available on a full-length album, this song, as well as one more on this EP, can be found on the Last Drop Falls single, released a few months after this. The acoustic solo is an interesting departure from Jani Liimatainen’s usual fare, but the bulk of the song is still uninteresting. The second song is the acoustic version of the Unopened B-side “Mary Lou.” Normally I love this band’s ballads, but this song was originally really fucking up-tempo and awesome, leaving the unplugged rewrite as unenergetic and bland. But since it can also be easily obtained by buying Silence, it’s the first notion of this EP’s obsolescence.
Rocking solid in 3/4 with cool layered vocals and the killer guitar/keyboard combination that makes this band rule, it’s the best song on here. The first song is “Black Sheep,” one of the better mid-paced numbers to be included on the band’s sophomore effort, Silence. Don’t even buy this for a laugh, even if you’re a hardcore fan. Add in the fact that it has become entirely useless because of the Last Drop Falls single and you have a release with no redeeming value whatsoever. Originally designated to showcase some of the band’s new material, it also has the unfortunate side effect of showcasing some of the band’s worst material. If there was one mini-release among Sonata Arctica’s vast sea of mini-releases that was truly, undeniably the worst, it would be 2001’s Orientation EP.
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