Side A:
Side B:
This couldn't be a more perfect example of the OPPOSITE of a "for-completist-only item" because seriously: If you think you only need 10 Finnish Metal titles in your collection, this is required to be one of them. Anyone who has scoured the mighty Isten Guide should be well aware that there are numerous obscure and practically unknown Finnish singles out there to dig up and discover. Thankfully, HARDLINE does not belong among the rarest ones.
I'd say the only concievable reason that this hasn't been wholly consumed and eradicated from the market by the HM vinyl mafia is because of it's absolutely dreadful sleeve. Yes, this is where you're supposed to use the word "dreadful", because a normal 'ugly' sleeve would have been infinitely better than this purely nonsensical, minimalist crap. Heck, even sleeveless this would have stirred more interest among the Metal collector fringe.
At the outmost best you'd suspect this to be some semi-wimpy hard rock/heavier aor of the typical Scandinavian ilk that dubious dealers would hype as "Rare FWOFHM!". It is, as said, the opposite. I.e. not dreafully rare (yet?) 2ndWOFHM that no-one has hyped (until now).
You will need exactly 15 seconds of the galloping drums and heartmelting guitars that open "The Rock Band" to know beyond a doubt that this is the best 7" you've heard in ages. The only other references I can come up with on the same level of Scanda-Metal catchiness & cool would be Randy, Witch Cross or the Keen Hue 7". Except this is slighly better.
...and if you ever thought I'd waste these many superlatives on a 7" release with a typical schmallad flipside you're highly mistaken! "Lay My Stakes Into The Future" is an absolute scorcher with yet another souldestroying bunch of guitar harmonies and encompasses all the finest traits of other top-notch Scanda-Steels like Mindless Sinner, Loud Crowd and the likes. Except... this is slightly better.
With such fierce competition it would be a tad too overdramatic to proclaim this the #1 Best Scandinavian Metal 7" Of All Time, but it might just snatch the top position as Most Underrated.