Upon Stone’s End Time Lightning EP marks a clear step forward for the Los Angeles melodeath outfit, sharpening their trademark blend of aggression and melody while branching into power-metal grandiosity and thrash-driven intensity. Across its three tracks, the band sounds more confident, more technically ambitious, and more willing to stretch beyond the boundaries of their earlier work—even if the results land unevenly at times.

“Fury My Master” immediately establishes the EP’s stronger, more commanding tone. The intro hits with slow, muscular riffing and dense rhythm work before exploding into a tightly wound barrage of melodeath speed. The guitars feel larger and more layered than before, occasionally brushing against classic power-metal heroism thanks to soaring leads and a flashy, well-constructed solo. Subtle synth swells add cinematic depth without overwhelming the mix, and the drumming stays sharp and expressive, grounding the track with precision. The vocals remain raw, urgent, and emotionally direct—cutting through the instrumentation just enough to keep everything anchored. As a complete package, it’s the EP’s most cohesive and compelling moment, showcasing the band’s rising compositional maturity.

“Autumn Evermore” leans harder into the band’s traditional strengths—fast riffs, busy drum patterns, and melodic touches filtered through that unmistakable ’80s-inspired metal spirit. The guitar work is strong, particularly in the second half where the riffs snap into tighter, thrash-driven cohesion. However, the vocals sitting low in the mix and the song’s less distinctive structure hold it back from matching the opener’s impact. The potential is there, and several moments shine, but the track never fully shapes those ideas into something memorable or emotionally gripping.

The EP closes with a cover of Manowar’s “Outlaw,” where the band approaches the legendary original with both respect and fire. Deep chugs, sharp scaling riffs, and pounding drum work give the track real weight, while the vocals slowly climb into a more commanding presence as the mix settles into place. It’s a tight, faithful rendition with solid musicianship across the board. Still, it feels more like a bonus showcase of their influences than a dramatic reinterpretation or standout highlight.

Taken together, End Time Lightning presents a band in transition—growing bolder, more technical, and more committed to fusing their melodic death-metal roots with broader metal traditions. Not every idea fully lands, and the three-track format leaves little room for the EP’s momentum to build, but the strengths on display point toward meaningful evolution. If Upon Stone continue to refine their songwriting and lean into the confidence shown in “Fury My Master,” their most impactful work may still be just ahead.