By: Mark Ambrose
Album Type: Split
Date Released: August 4, 2017
Label: Redefining Darkness |
Seeing
Red Records
This release will satisfy fans who are craving some crushing
death to usher in the autumn decay.
From The Hellmouth / Mutilatred
Split CS//DD track listing
1. From The Hellmouth - Cast Into the Sea
2. From The Hellmouth - The Wolves Must Be Fed
3. From The Hellmouth - Campaign of Lies
4. Mutilatred - Crippled
By Prescription
5. Mutilatred - Part of
the Decay
6. Mutilatred - Split from
Inside
7. Mutilatred - Prescribed
Death
8. Mutilatred - While It
Floods
The Review
There must be something putrid in the waters
of Ohio. As the coastal metropoles
continue to offer sometimes thrilling, sometimes rote black metal hybrids,
avant garde sludge experimentation, or crusty metallic anarcho-punk, the
Buckeye State spews out death.
Cleveland’s From the Hellmouth and
Toledo’s Mutilatred are the latest purveyors of
nauseating toxicity, and offer up an unhealthy half hour on this untitled split
EP.
From the Hellmouth skews toward melodic death, with harmonized
guitar leads that recall At the Gates, The Black Dahlia
Murder, and all the hardest parts of Castlevania. Noah
Buchanan’s vocals are surprisingly discernable for death metal, and the
refrain of “Relentless attack!” on EP
highlight “The Wolves Must Be Fed” makes
me anxious for a full-length. If they
pump out more catchy, memorable riffs in this vein, they’ll garner a dedicated
following, chanting along to every chorus.
If its traditional death filth you’re after, Mutilatred is death metal that could have come from
Morrisound in the 80s heyday, albeit with some major experimentation. McDonagh’s
vocals are pure guttural grunts, while the guitar tone is dirtier than Lake
Erie. Sometimes this is a bit of a
drawback, as McDonagh and Meyers’ intricate guitar riffing can
get lost in the mix, especially in the washed out midrange. Regardless, Mutilatred’s
musicians show some serious chops, especially drummer Clay Lowe, who is an absolute beast at the kit. “Split
from Inside” is a real standout, with ferocious thrash riffing and circle
pit intensity, while “Prescribed Death”
slips into a hypnotic, exhilarating groove.
With closing track “While It
Floods”, noise manipulators Fakes
and Meyers take center stage, with
occasional spoken word from McDonagh. I honestly was waiting for the full band to
kick in and close out the split, but the track is pure noise. If they manage to meld these elements in a
future release, they’ll have a uniquely surreal formula in place.
Like most split EPs, this offering may not be
featured as a “year’s best” or “major release” of the summer, but makes a solid
case for both bands as up and comers in the US death scene. If nothing else, it will satisfy your craving
for some crushing death to usher in the autumn decay.
“From The Hellmouth / Mutilatred” is available here
Band info:
