TEN – WORSEN // WHITEWURM
Every day I search the underground for music that is not only going to move me, but also you, our readers. The new split between WORSEN // WHITEWURM does that on all levels. Both bands have created Black Metal hymns that reek of pain and disgust, but at the same time are uplifting in their own perverse way. WORSEN and WHITEWURM prove that this genre has so much to offer the world, and is way more complex than many people give it credit for – which is maybe why this genre is so special. I’m sure after hearing this, you will dig into to both of these bands’ back catalogs.
NINE – ASEETHE // OBSIDIAN SWORD
Hand of Death Records has a cassette set to release tomorrow, and it’s one that you won’t want to miss if you are a fan of absolutely crushing doom; it’s name is Cast In Ruin, and it comes via the lethal combination of ASEETHE and OBSIDIAN SWORD. This split is fucking HEAVY!
EIGHT – RUACH RAAH // WØMB
Unholy 666 Beastial Fuck! I FREAKING LOVE my Black Metal covered in dirty feral Black Punk!!! The soon to be released split tape between RUACH RAAH and WØMB is one of the most putrid releases of 2016 and I can not get enough. The riffs that you are about to encounter have been injected with nothing less than pure HATE and MURDER. All HAIL Black Metal and Black Punk!!!
SEVEN – DOPETHRONE // FISTER
What band from Montreal gets played in our HQ at least twice a week or more? The answer is the forever smokin’ DOPETHRONE! Why? Because we are fucking addicted to their grimy, resin-coated riffs! The rad news is that they have a new split with FISTER that’s going to push your wig back. What site is premiering this doombastic record? CVLT Nation motherfuckers, because that’s how we roll. I have played this sonic journey into darkness at least 8 times today. DOPETHRONE and FISTER are getting better with each release. If I had one problem with this pairing, it is that they didn’t make this a full length – maybe in the future…I can only hope! In the meantime, head over to DOPETHRONE’s very own label RIFF DEALER RECORDS and pick up this new underground classic.
SIX – FALSE LIGHT // DISCOMFORT SPLIT
FALSE LIGHT is back motherfuckers, to open a brand new can of you can not fuck with us! Damn, no disrespect to any bands out there, but this band is beyond DOPE and should have way more shine! This is where CVLT Nation comes in – get off your ass and do what you have to do to find out more about these dudes, because they are the shit! I hardly ever do this, but I will compare them to a couple of bands so you can understand where I’m coming from. So imagine if the NAILS formed a gang with Full of Hell then recruited NAPALM DEATH as the real muscle, and out of this rage FALSE LIGHT was born. Anyway, they have a brand new split with DISCOMFORT from Italy/UK who also bring the raw and uncut pain!
Tracks 1-3: DISCOMFORT
Tracks 4-10: FALSE LIGHT
FOUR – Mare Cognitum // Aureole
Depicting the grandeur of the mighty vacuum in the auditory medium is two parts ironic, one part exigent. The sound of space has been shaped more by personal interpretation than substantial evidence, but Resonance: Crimson Void (Resonance from here on) chooses to tackle the atmosphere with just a few simple concepts in mind. Scale and isolation. In light of the well-received Sol split between Mare Cognitum and Spectral Lore, this new release doesn’t quite reach the extremes of size and depth that were previously achieved. Regardless of a substantially shorter run-time here, however, Mare Cognitum and Aureole manage to induce a tone of suffocation with alarming ease.
Read the full review at Sputnik Music
FIVE – Blut Aus Nord // Ævangelist
If you were to pluck OG black metal fans from the past and drop them in the present, they might be horrified to hear what the genre has been turned into by artists who just don’t care to play by the rules. This split LP from Blut Aus Nord and Ævangelist, two acts who warp the parameters of black metal almost beyond recognition, drives that point home vividly. With their previous records, both bands have demonstrated that it’s possible to present myriad new shades of grimness. Here, each group elevates its craft to another level.
Read the full review on Pitchfork
THREE – DARK CIRCLE // ABSTRACTER
Released on April 1st, this split by Montreal’s Dark Circles and Oakland, CA’s Abstracter is one terrifying release, with some of the best output by either band. Made up of six songs, the split contains animalistic D-beat courtesy of the former and megaton doom courtesy of Abstracter, each half lovingly flavored with sharpest crust and void-rich black metal. Enjoy.
TWO – BARGHEST // TEETH
Perhaps what Barghest does best is what it doesn’t do. Each song sounds like classic Black Metal. The kind that used to cloud this genre’s name in controversy. There is no lofty, misaligned thought of pushing boundaries. Barghest simply want to unleash their wrath in the most direct, cruel way possible. They never play outside of their range and always stick to their guns, which in this case, is an absolute asset. “Coil Strike” is perhaps the greatest example of this fact. To say that this song contains a sense of majesty is an understatement. Throughout its duration, it summons forth images of fog-choked forests and occult masses uttering hymns to what lies beyond the dark. It bleeds that true Black Metal sound from its veins and onto the ground. And honestly, the world needs more of that.
TEETH (for those who haven’t checked out their phenomenal debut Unremittance, get on that now) are a hard one to pin down. Like so many bands that litter the landscape, they attempt to work in a myriad of different Extreme Metal styles. The difference, however, between TEETH and other projects is one simple thing. TEETH are getting really, really fucking good at what they do – and perhaps they are even on the cusp of truly tapping into an unmined vein of sound.
Read the full review here…
ONE – Ellorsith // Mannveira
So what happens when two sick bands join forces to release a split that makes the hairs on the back of your neck curl up and die? You make the split your number one on your end of the year list! Ellorsith/Mannveira’s Dark Descent collabo marked a return to the underground music scene. In all honesty, this sonic torture machine just makes me want to hear more from both bands, like NOW!!!
