Amethyst is a fivepiece hailing from the Netherlands, and those familiar with the Dutch club circuit might have seen them play as they have been around since 1996. Starting out as a black gothic band with their first album "Dea Noctilucae", they have turned their path towards more thrashy roads with a melodic swedish metal sound.

In four songs, Amethyst shows an exercition of their capabilities, and it becomes evident that these guys have great potential in songwriting. The songs manage to capture and hold the attention, with surprising style changes and usage of different tempos. However, musically, Amethyst has yet to learn a bit.

Even though it is not bad what they achieve, they still are no match at all for their examples (In Flames, At The Gates, Gates Of Ishtar) who have produced songs with the same effect but played and produced more skillful than is the case here. That`s why I would rather pop in one of the `originals` than "From A Thousand Years Of Slumber".

Undoubtly, if they keep concentrating on good songwriting and improve their skills just a little bit more, they will come a long way. If they manage to get a Tatgren-like production, I`d be glad to review their next one as well.