“‘The Underworld Awaits’ was the highlight track here and brings a solid end, that could very well get your head banging with one hand holding a cold frosty ale, and the other fist pumping with devil horns high. Good effort, raw sounding, and one that metalheads will enjoy. I’m sure we will hear more from these guys soon.”

“The whole EP is a very good standard and I was really enjoying it and then I got to the fourth and track was blown away. The Underworld Awaits. What a song! One of the best metal songs you will hear. Brilliant opening riff with drive and a great hook that really is some of the best thrash you will hear. The chorus is excellent, clear vocals and easily to sing along lyrics make for a wonderful moment between listener and musician. The two brothers are very clever as it appears they have performed everything on the album so when played with a full live band it will really be quite something. I am very pleased on this debut EP that they are all original songs and no covers or fillers, showing they have plenty of musical creativity with plenty more on the way. There are no bad songs on this and I found myself very happy to let the disc start all over again at track 1 and play all the way through. The sign of a good album.”

“Sydney trio SteelSwarm offer up a refreshingly old school take on thrash metal – there are no death metal growls here, let alone dubstep flourishes or modern production folderols – and their Ultimate Offering EP is something of a breath of fresh air for that reason alone.”

“Picture Accept meets Testament, then pepper in a little of Anthrax, and you may have something close to what makes up SteelSwarm. This trio from Sydney have steadily been making the runs since 2012 (albeit, the concept for the band was first conceived by brothers and fellow band mates, Dane and Jamie Simms in 2007), and are now ready to unleash on the unassuming masses their debut EP, The Ultimate Offering; a fine, little collection of four tracks which require little effort to feel comfortable listening to. The Ultimate Offering is a neat EP in the sense that while with some EPs that you listen to that can at times feel a little contrived and forced, SteelSwarm’s entry by comparison feels remarkably inviting and fresh. Not to mention, there is a great batch of thrash metal tracks on offer here with clear hints at traditional heavy metal (something that’s always welcomed in my book).”