First Impressions of How to destroy angels_, "An omen EP_"

This may be all I say on the subject as I'm boring myself with all this hype...which would totally make you cry a lot, right?

Keep it together
Pretty much forgotten once I realized there are five more tracks behind it. I suppose it's a nice, not-really-groundbreaking start to lull one into a false sense of disappointment? Hm. That's a bit harsh. There are some very cool sounds here, but it's just not as dynamic as I would have liked. Me. So, come on guys, did you not get my fax of "The Ways I Would Like Your EP To Be Dynamic"? Sheesh. Moving on...

Ice age
Wow. "Ice age" actually shocked me, it's so wildly different from what I was expecting. It's so bright and warm and almost Bluegrass! Musically, at least; the lyrics are quite a bit darker. I like where this starts and I like where it ends. This might be the best track on the EP.

On the wing
Something about this kept reminding me of a Depeche Mode song. I very much like the vocal interplay and Reznor's gentleness. Another very solid track that does pretty much everything right. I also dig the piano.

The sleep of reason produces monsters
This starts off with a crisp and clear sound not usually associated with (the seven other songs by) HTDA. Then it loses itself amid an ocean of electronics. The droning voices aren't great, but they seem to work. For me, this is the weakest track on the EP.

The loop closes
This utilizes the same sort of programming (plinking, staccato, almost random arrangement of sounds made into a pattern) as "Ice age" but isn't nearly as fresh or well implemented this time around; although it's different enough to still work well. The vocals, while sung with conviction, are kind of awful ("the beginning is the end and keeps coming around again!" Yow.). Some really great layers here though.

Speaking in tongues
And then we reach the final track...which uses the same programming as "Ice age" and the song that just ended. The feel of this one is much better though, and the lyrics are prophetic and apocalyptic and perfectly match the mood. However, they employ the same distorted noise from their first EP and this is a bit of a problem for me. If they had used a guitar effect or synth voice or whatever, that might be different, but this noise is so distinct that it's actually a bit distracting and takes something away from the evolution of their sound; as in "they've had all this time and they're still using the same, exact sound?" etc. Despite this, this is a great closer to a really solid release.

So, here's what I'm taking away from my first listen: Yes, they have definitely evolved and grown, just as Reznor said, which is always exciting, but, by using the same programming device in three tracks on a six track EP, they've sown some doubts in me with regards to their upcoming LP...coming in early 2015.
I mean 2013.
Totally early though.
Like...February.
Or maybe March.
Or MAYBE April.
Maybe.

Seriously though, the whole thing does sound really great and, as not all of these tracks will actually appear on that full length album  (everything except "The sleep of reason produces monsters" and "The loop closes", I believe), my concerns might be unfounded.
Once again, this was only my first listen and, guess what, I plan on listening to this...I don't know...maybe a few more times?
Like...four.
Or five.
...
THOUSAND.

You can hear "An omen EP_" streaming in its entirety here.