After the "Trauermarsch" intro -- based on the traditional "Marche Funebre" theme, used by Candlemass on _Nightfall_ and there credited to an interpretation by Chopin -- the title track "Raluska" starts off the EP in decent fashion, although it's certainly no outstanding track -- and upon closer inspection just standard Nargaroth mid-tempo fare. (The "Marche Funebre" theme makes a return here, but is lousily integrated into the song itself.) Track three, "Where the Cranes Fly", is definitely the most interesting of the three actual songs -- utilising blazing speed and unusual, interesting chord progressions. The last track, "The Tears of a Man", does justice to its pathetic title, consisting of a lukewarm riff that sounds disconcertingly familiar if not worn-out, fast but absolutely monotonous and boring drumming and some totally unimaginative and repetitious rasping by Kanwulf.

This material might have gone down a lot better if both EPs had gotten released as a whole, with a track-list that cleverly mixed material from both, but as it is _Raluska Part I_ is sadly only worth the money for die-hard Nargaroth fans.