Split review: Satanic Warmaster/Archgoat - Lux Satanae (Thirteen Hymns of Finnish Devil Worship) (2015)

Satanic Warmaster/Archgoat - Lux Satanae (Thirteen Hymns of Finnish Devil Worship)

Finland

Hells Headbangers Records

“Lux Satanae (Thirteen hymns of Finnish Devil Worship)” is an excellent split alliance between two legendary Finnish bands – both playing black metal. The artwork that adorns this release is undoubtedly one of the coolest artworks I’ve seen for a split, with Satanic Warmaster representing the wolf and Archgoat representing the goat. The tracks on this split are familiar songs from previous recordings, but appear to be re-recorded versions. Both bands deliver a colossal assault of monumental darkness as each hymn is vomited from the abyss. Obviously these bands aren’t as obscure as they once were, though the presentation of this work is utterly crude and unpolished – and a massive middle finger to the mainstream. All in all, "Lux Satanae" is an archetypal representation of Finnish black metal (and perhaps black metal as a whole) with some great artwork to boot. 

Split review: Thornspawn / Maledictvs – Guided by Vengeance & Bloodlust (2021)

Thornspawn / Maledictvs – Guided by Vengeance & Bloodlust

USA / Mexico

Inhuman Assault Productions

The split in question is the first release to feature new Thornspawn material since their last split with Singapore's Istidraj in 2013. The two new Thornspawn tracks 'Under The Illustrious Eminence of Satan's Doctrine' and 'Clairvoyance with the Dead' are both killer slabs of raw and vicious black metal, boasting a powerful production while maintaining that malicious and bestial edge they are known for. Blackthorn's vocals are visceral as ever with a fair amount of distortion, giving the music a menacing effect paired with the vicious buzzsaw guitars and thumping drums. The atmosphere is evil enough to draw me in, and has that apocalyptic ambience that is typical of their sound, although one thing missing from these tracks are guitar solos. They have always had them in the past; nevertheless, I am quite impressed with the new songs and hope to hear more of the same on their next recording. (Although it’s like I said, they need to throw some solos in the mix to give the music that extra oomph.) Interestingly, Blackthorn is the only remaining member from the original line-up and that really says a lot about his dedication to black metal, as the band has been around since 1993.

Maledictvs from Juarez, Mexico, is the manifestation of Hella, the mistress of Blackthorn, which consequently features Blackthorn on drums. The Malevicvs portion of the split is quite well crafted, with an an array of chaotic riffs and hellish, high-pitched vocals that sound like they come from the depths of Hella's black soul. This music is above the standard pedestal and exudes pure devotion to the dark arts, as this is raw, underproduced black metal at its finest. All in all, a solid split all around and recommended for aficionados of blasphemous underground black metal. (HT)

Split review: Infesticide / In Obscurity Revealed (2021)

Infesticide / In Obscurity Revealed – Split

Mexico

Blood Harvest

I haven't heard a good split in a while and this release here is just what the doctor ordered. Both bands hail from Mexico and play menacing death metal with an evil intonation. A lot of death metal bands these days tend to suck due to the fact that they are too content to regurgitate old styles without adding more emotion to the compositions, and then label it "old school", leaving little to be desired. That's not the case with Infesticide and In Obscurity revealed. These guys are completely obsessed with their craft and let the devil emanate from their music. One listen to the material on this split is enough to convince you of the quality of these bands. Infesticide seems to be one of those bands that gets better and better with each release, as they kick it up a notch with the two tracks presented here: fast, vicious and filthy death metal at its best, with definite echoes of early Morbid Angel (Altars era). In Obscurity Revealed is no less impressive, melting brains with their relentless onslaught of bestial riffs, harsh vocals and hard-hitting drums. All in all, the split is a thoroughly enjoyable release and once again shows just how passionate those maniacs are about metal from Latin countries. 16 minutes of pure underground Death Metal insanity! Highly recommended. (HT)

Split review: Thecodontion / Vessel of Iniquity - The Permian-Triassic Extinction Event (2021)

Thecodontion / Vessel of Iniquity - The Permian-Triassic Extinction Event

Italy / England

I, Voidhanger Records / Dead Red Queen Records / Bad Moon Rising 惡月上昇

Well, holy shit! The material on this split is great. I have never heard of either bands before listening to this release. Admittedly, I really like splits as it's always interesting to hear how bands represent themselves, and often times splits have great songs from bands that are not always featured on their other releases. The split in question features two pretty awesome bands: Thecodontion from Italy and Vessel of Iniquity from England.

Thecodontion is up first, presenting two tracks that reach the 6-minute mark each. This band has a sound rooted in pure black/death metal, but with an experimental touch, including the fact that the music is quite atmospheric. Now the term "atmospheric" can often times be misinterpreted as music with soothing melodies that bring tears to your eyes or bring a warm smile to your face. This is not the case with Thecodontion, as the music emits a deeply sinister tone that evokes a sense of utter horror, and yet the music is so incredibly catchy that it is impossible to resist. They have some of the best bass playing I have heard from a new black/death band in a long, long time. The bass is a driving force in the music and reminds me of Swedish death metal band Karnarium, as they employ it in an almost similar way. References could be made to bands like Antediluvian, Mitochondrion and Chaos Echoes as they have a similar approach to songwriting and atmosphere. The drums are very adequately played and even quite technical in a kind of straightforward sense. The drums and bass definitely have a good chemistry on this release. Thecodontian has a wholly unique sound and take on black/death metal and all I can say is that I will be listening to more of their music.

Vessel of Iniquity is the far more chaotic entry of the two bands and assaults the listener with a terrifying 11 minute piece of frantic black metal with some harsh noise elements. I think the overlapping elements make this a really interesting and enjoyable split. I am not sure what state S.P. White was in when he recorded this madness, but it certainly sounds like he was in a murderous trance or something. It seems like the track "The Great Dying" is split into two parts but stitched together as one composition, which is interesting because there's a bit of a breather from all the chaos about halfway through when the listener is subjected to a rhythmic percussion with an eerie ambience in the background, followed by more hyper-blasting madness and screams coming straight from hell. The riffs, percussion and vocals are all exceptionally well put together as the music shows a heightened sense of atmosphere that will transport you to another realm.

Overall, it's a very interesting and enjoyable split that I will certainly be coming back to, considering the quality output of both bands. Props to I, Voidhanger for putting out such a harrowing and abstract piece of aural sickness. (HT) 

Split review: Churchacide / Plaque Swarm – Eschatological Retaliation (2021)

 

Churchacide / Plaque Swarm – Eschatological Retaliation

Texas / USA

Antichriconoclast Productions

I had a chance to listen to this killer split a few times over the weekend (whether I was running errands or just listening to music) and I just want to say right off the bat that this is one murderous fucking split from start to finish. The split will be released by members of Churchacide’s own label called Antichriconoclast Productions (good luck pronouncing that!) which specialises in releasing material related to the members’ respective outputs.

Both bands hail from Texas, and first up on this split is Churchacide, presenting us with a total of 7 tracks containing feral, crude old-school death metal with raspy vocals reminiscent of Pete Helmkamp. The music is predominantly mid-paced with faster sections interspersed throughout. The production is clear and sharp, which gives the music extra bite. Guitars are frenetic and well-executed, consisting of first-rate riffs and solos sharp enough to split your brain in two, while the drums are also good, but retains a kind of sloppiness that adds to the charm of the music. The bass is heavy and noticeable in the mix, which is nice. Overall, the performance from Churchacide is fucking solid. Favourite track: Imammolation

Plaque Swarm dominates the next half of the split and offers up a clangorous whirl of evil and hypnotic black/death metal, with a sound redolent of bands like Dead Congregation, Death Worship, and Perdition Temple. The atmosphere is massive and filthy, which hovers over the listener like a cloud of destructive darkness. The ambiance is decidedly dark and full of sinister cadences due to the droning wall of sound created by the guitars and ridiculously fast drums. The vocals are very fitting for this style: crude, deep and menacing. The skull-fucking sonic assault of Plaque Swarm is definitely not for sissies and will appeal only to real maniacs, and perhaps even serial killers. Favourite track: Spectre of Doom

You really have to be in the mood for this kind of heavy, merciless black/death, because the brutality of this split will knock you flat. Both bands come highly recommended to maniacs into proper metal. (HT)

Split review: Nameless Tomb / Sadomortuary - Nameless Mortuary (2020)

 

Nameless Tomb / Sadomortuary – Nameless Mortuary

Germany / Italy

Goatmarch Distro

The aptly titled “Nameless Mortuary” is a split release between Nameless Tomb (Ger) and Sadomortuary (Ita) released under Goatmarch Distro from Greece. Both of these bands embody the true essence of the underground and transmit a veritably evil atmosphere that many bands lack nowadays.

Inaugurating the madness is Nameless Tomb from Berlin, Germany, offering five tracks of vicious and vociferous Black/Death Metal that could potentially drive your neighbours insane. Their side of the split starts with an audio sample of Armin Meiwes, which is quite fitting considering the band is from Germany. The music is characterized by sinister and buzzy guitars, unintelligible growls, primitive, yet well-executed drums, and an unabashedly raw production. Their style conforms to the formula of old-school, raw and bestial Black/Death Metal that gives nods to bands like Corpse Molestation, Havohej and Abhorer. In other words, this is some killer fucking shit. 

The next attack comes from Sadomortuary from Mantua, Italy – and just like Nameless Tomb – they offer more or less the same palette of aural sickness, albeit even more primitive, with a sound sonically on par with bands like Beherit, Weregoat, and Sadomator. The music is – as mentioned above – utterly primitive, ugly and raucous. Their songs aren’t particularly short either and succeed in inducing a profoundly devilish atmosphere, pulling you into the darkest corridors of the bottomless pit with their brand of ritualistic Black/Death. 

All in all, both bands deliver. In fact, this is one of my favourite split releases of late. I definitely recommend it to those into the more bestial and crude sounding stuff. (HT)

Split review: Blood Omen / Slege – Bathing In The Blood Of The Meek (2020)

Blood Omen / Slege – Bathing In The Blood Of The Meek

USA

Nihilistic Noise Propaganda

"Bathing In The Blood Of The Meek” is a black metal split between Blood Omen and Slege, both of whom hail from California. These bands are amply uncompromising in their craft and represent the heart and soul of the genre.

Blood Omen starts the split, offering 2 tracks of fierce and majestic Black Metal. This is the band's third release, so they already had some time to work on their music, hence the quality of the material. “Bloodsworn Legacy” is an epic 8-minute hymn featuring one of the best solos in a black metal song I've heard in a while. The blood-curdling vocals, along with their ability to write sick riffs, definitely makes them a noteworthy prospect. Blood Omen is the real deal and after hearing their side of the split, I've decided to check out the rest of their discography.

Slege's take on the genre is slightly different, although they embody the same murderous spirit. The atmosphere they evoke is powerful and reminds me of old Gorgoroth. The effects on the vocals are very well done and gives the music a very distinctive feel. “Their Heads On The Spikes Of Our Victory” is an absolute killer tune backed by some truly epic riffs and an amazing vocal performance full of emotion.

All in all, both bands are on the same page in terms of song-writing quality and show a natural capacity for depth; therefore, I cannot recommend this release enough. This is a great split.(HT)