Memo to aspiring bands; if you want to get your disc noticed then, instead of badly spelling song titles with a Sharpie on a CD-r, get your release packaged like this three track EP from Thulium. This is some seriously classy packaging, nice digipack with a cool art concept. Top marks so far.....

With band members from France, Hungary, Canada and the UK, Thulium burst into ÜRHQ like a team of trained assassins assembled by Lewis Collins to infiltrate a moustachioed terror cell.

Named after a metal and using the chemical symbol for said metal as the EP's title, you'd be excused for thinking that the songs compressed onto this shiny disc are gonna be born-to-be-bad behemoths in league with El Diablo. Wrong. Thulium walk an alternative metal plank and do it well enough to keep their heads above water.

Opener 'Running' crashes in on a fat riff before a Dommin-like vocal takes over. There's a definite 80's vibe coursing through the veins of this tune, a vibe that continues on second cut 'Craving'. I couldn't quite put my finger on who it reminded me of, then it came to me - The Royal Court Of China. Good enough for me, brothers and sisters. There's still a moody, dark aura around it all though. Third and final track '90 Days Of Sorrow' is the slow, sexy and brooding tune that every band needs. Sounding, vocally at least, a little like Rockstar Supernova finalist Magni, this song features a great, epic-sounding guitar solo and could easily provide the tear-stained soundtrack to a long distance relationship or two.

Raw and still a little wet behind the ears, Thulium have enough spunk in their bellies to get a decent foothold with this release. Where they go next will be interesting to watch. A promising debut.

www.myspace.com/thulium69