REVIEW: Hazemage & Tombtoker, "Hazemage/Tombtoker"

By: Peter Morsellino

Album Type: Split

Date Released: 20/03/2020

Label:  Independent

“Haze Mage/Tombtoker” Split CD//DD track listing:

1). Haze Mage, “Sleepers”

2). Hazemage, “Pit Fighter”

3). Tombtoker, “Braise the Dead”

4). Tombtoker, “Botched Bastard”

The Review:

It seems there has often been some confusion when defining doom metal and sludge. And truthfully, I am often in that same boat.  What kind of music does Crowbar play?  Or Down?  I'm not talking about what it says on their wikipedia, but what do you hear when you listen?  I think there is a lot of overlap to what are essentially different sides of the same coin. What we have here today, folks, is an example of perfect musical duality.

With this masterfully done split from Haze Mage and Tombtoker, we're going to examine those different sides, and explore the overlap. I think we'll find that these bands, whatever you want to call them, go great together.

Haze Mage kick off the split with “Sleepers” and some solid 70's inspired jamming. The track rocks organically without needing to force their musical aesthetic on the listener. The dual guitar leads create an amazing effect that brings to mind those glory days of 70's hard rock.  “Pit Fighter” is a very different sound with a driving, rolling beat. This one will make you want to move for sure. The guitar solo with its creepy minor key tones brings a smile to my face everytime I hear it.

Tombtoker on the other hand, start things off with a bang.  “Braise the Dead” is a great opener, with its hypnotic and groovy riffs. Drum work is amazing in its variations while holding a steady beat that's as heavy as anything you'll hear today. Vocals lie comfortably in the death metal range, which compliments the fuzzy stoner sludge sound perfectly.  “Botched Bastard” keeps things going with some old school style riffing. This one maintains a pretty slower pace, keeping up with the heaviness we've come to expect.  The bass is allowed a little more of the spotlight, which for me personally, is a huge thumbs up.

Overall these bands both bring it hard here. With very different sounds showcased on each half of the split, this one offers a whole lot of bang for your buck. Whether you're looking for some earth rattling sludge or some fantastical classic fuzz, you'll find it here. Thumbs up from me for sure.

“Hazemage/Tomstoker” is available HERE

Band info: Hazemage || TOMBTOKER

REVIEW: Dutchguts / Chained to the Dead – Split [EP]

By: Mark Ambrose


Album Type: EP

Date Released: 01/09/2017

Label: Horror Pain Gore Death Productions

“Dutchguts / Chained to the Dead” Split CD//DD track listing

1). Dutchguts – “Bad Batch”

2). Dutchguts – “Happy Trails to Hell”

3). Dutchguts – “Snake Piss”

4). Chained to the Dead – “The Ballad of the Melting Hobos”

5). Chained to the Dead – “The Ones That Walk Away”

6). Chained to the Dead – “Beast from the East”

The Review

While I love the complex shit out there – the prog-influenced, hyper-hyphenate blackened genre mixers – a powerful double dose of filth can be just as transcendent as “challenging” grand statement albums.  Case in point: the split EP by sludge punkers Dutchguts and death maniacs Chained to the Dead.  Dutchguts slam out a trio of tunes that serve as the perfect soundtrack to a night of bad decisions that get this, actually packs some bluesy menace into those fuzzy tones.  Sure they recall Eyehategod and Motorhead but they also could be a gone to seed ZZ Top (that good, early shit) jamming on Black Sabbath.  They play headbanging riff songs, with scattered shout along choruses, until the raucous doomy closer, “Snake Piss”.  Slowing to an absolute crawl, the dual guitars of Gonzalez and Galarraga are all swagger and snarl, while the rhythm section of Rivas and Cerri easily shifts between hardcore aggression and swinging bar band rock.  I want a whole slab of this stuff, though I worry my liver may not take it.

Chained to the Dead, meanwhile, serve up some rotten-to-the-bone, meat and potatoes death metal.  You know you’re dealing with true splatter fetishists when your song opens with a Street Trash sample that actually serves the putrid subject matter.  Guitarist Stephen Rasczyk goes real old school with his riffing: no squealing, chaotic leads, just memorable hooks that make you want to get in the mosh and bleed all over someone.  John-Paul Dal Pan is well-served in the production, as his hefty bass tone is stomach turning on “Beast from the East”.  Ott, meanwhile, is an enviable metal drummer, whose brutality and proficiency are matched by his restraint – never overplaying but never boring.  Vocalist Rocco Martone may have one of the most violent cadences in death metal.  Each syllable sounds like he’s rasping out a liter of blood and clotted guts, which goes perfectly with the overall horror aesthetic.  Most importantly, like all the other elements of the group, he makes a simple style, free of effects or acrobatics, wholly his own.  Each of Chained to the Dead’s three cuts is memorable as an infected scar – you’ll keep returning to these wounds despite your revulsion, and even come to perversely enjoy your self-mortification.

“Dutchguts / Chained to the Dead” is available here

Band info: Dutchguts || Chained to the Dead

The Ocean / Mono - 'Transcendental' Split EP (Review)

By: Hunter Young

Album Type: Split EP

Date Released: 23/10/2015

Label: Pelagic Records

Of the splits to cross the desk, this is one of the most well done and well created albums to happen. Even though it's only about 24 minutes long, this feels like it takes a while, in a good way, to happen to you. Highly recommended if you want to calm the soul, and maybe push some boundaries for yourself.

‘Transcendental’ CD//DD/LP track listing:

1). The Ocean – The Quiet Observer

2). Mono – Death In Reverse

The Review:

Waxing on about the grandness of 2 bands coming together for a singular output has been spouted about for many earlier reviews, so it's no surprise to bring you another amazing combination; that of Mono and The Ocean on their ‘Transcendental’ EP. These two musical titans give a 1-2 combo right to the ear holes, laying out the very soul to experience aural bliss. 

The Ocean, ‘The Quiet Observer’: With a propensity for crafting what is almost a musical movement, The Ocean brings their very best on ‘The Quiet Observer’, which is anything but a quiet player. Beginning with a slower, laid back and soft piano and drum beat, it builds into a massive wall of progressive beauty headed straight for you, as their vocalist lays you low with a most clean delivery. Once the peak flows over you, They chug and alt pick under a good cop/bad cop vocal trade off, coming off a bit like a NIN cover by a hi fi prog band. Coming in just under 13 minutes, The Ocean hit you with many of their talents, chief of which is perfect pacing and song structuring, striking that balance between their playing and their classical string sections that add both depth and shading to their offering on ‘Transcendental’. Pair with good bourbon and a relaxed evening.

Mono, ‘Death in Reverse’: Beginning with a clean guitar and some awesome reverb, Mono brings the heat here. ‘Death in Reverse’ unfolds, sonically, like being sucked into a wormhole and jettisoned out the other side. As you slowly get your bearings back, you start to realize shapes out of the strangeness around you. Their individual parts slowly roll up upon you like astral bodies, slowly creating a tapestry all around your mind, building and building until you reach the end of your journey, about 7 minutes into the 11, and then you see this new songs star. Everything is beautiful in this track, feeling crafted, instead of written, and equally balanced as The Ocean track preceding it. This speaks to the soul. Kind of post everything, returning back into arrangement. Have a quiet, lonely night for this one. Let it envelope you in its sound.

Of the splits to cross the desk, this is one of the most well done and well created albums to happen. Even though it's only about 24 minutes long, this feels like it takes a while, in a good way, to happen to you. Highly recommended if you want to calm the soul, and maybe push some boundaries for yourself.

‘Transcendental’ is available here

Band info: 

The Ocean official | facebook

Mono: official | facebook | bandcamp

Tides of Sulfur / The Air Turned To Acid - “The Last Words of a Dying Planet" Split (Review)

By: Eric Crowe

Album Type: Split

Date Released: 26/08/2015

Label: Hibernacula & FHED

Both bands absolutely kill it on this split, and I’m sure a live setting with these guys would be a truly punishing experience. Can not wait to see what the future holds for these bastards!

“The Last Words of a Dying Planet” CD//DD//CS tracklisting:

1. Lord of Flies (Tides of Sulfur)

2. Crawling Through a Pit of Ash and Bone (Tides of Sulfur)

3. Disinherited (Tides of Sulfur / The Air Turned To Acid)

4. Sisyphus (The Air Turned To Acid)

5. Glandroid (The Air Turned To Acid)

Review:

Strap in and hold on for this short but amazingly filthy split! So much sludge and crust elements throughout, its downright killer! “Lord of Flies” starts out with some meaty ass guitar tone and drum-fills, but then rips right into some crusty sludge with great drive and higher range throaty vocals. Gears shift with “Crawling Through a Pit of Ash and Bone” to a slower and darker edge, but one that hits you right in the feels. Vocally this one doubles up with the Cattlepress type vocals and a heavy reverberated Crowbar vocal offering. Riding on this darkened wave for a bit, things drop off to a bass segment then smashing into a complete D-beat explosion! It ends up in half time then fading out, bringing you perfectly into a taste of the next track. “Disinherited” is a collaborative track between Tides and Acid that makes a perfect transition between the bands. It’s a dark noise ambient piece that churns so grimly with samples of Charles Bukowski’s poem “Dinosauria, We”

Continuing down this path of grime and nastiness we have The Air Turned to Acid with “Sisyphus.” A mid paced dirge that really keeps the filth alive! Throaty vocals we have all come to love from the genre, Grief-like and mixed with stomach cramping screams, so perfectly fitting. The riff turns into a heavy scale and the tone reminds me of old Dystopia, ALWAYS a good thing! “Glandroid” finishes this out with more of a frenzied feel in the sound. Heavy chunks, palm muting, despairing vocals with a lot of diversity! This ending riff just keeps getting heavier and slower with every pass and even some noise and knob tweaking at the end, which makes for a damn great end to the album.

Both bands absolutely kill it on this split, and I’m sure a live setting with these guys would be a truly punishing experience. Can not wait to see what the future holds for these bastards!

“The Last Words of a Dying Planet” is available here

Band info: Tides Of Sulfur | The Air Turned To Acid



Old Witch/Keeper - ‘Old Witch/Keeper’ Split (Review)

 By: Daniel Jackson

Album Type: Split Cassette

Date Released: 25/7/2015

Label: GrimCvlt

Old Witch is full of drone and borderline funeral doom. Keyboards swell over guitars part that recall Sunn O))) or, more accurately, Teeth of Lions Rule The Divine. There's nothing pretty or subtle about Keeper’s approach, and that’s likely for the best. If there’s anyone doing this sort of ugly, miserable dirge any better they’re obscure enough that I haven’t found them

‘Old/Witch/Keeper’ CS//DD track listing:

OLD WITCH:

1. The Vague Fears That Bother My Waking Life Regarding The Inevitability Of Death And What May Or May Not Lie Beyond

2. Broken Soil On An Early Grave

3. A Gathering Of Strangers Who Knew The Deceased But Not Too Well

4. Gallows

KEEPER:

1. Four Walls; A Home

2. With or Without Pt. 1, 2 & 3

Old Witch is:

Stephen H. Heyerdahl | Everything

Keeper is:

Jacob Lee | Guitar, Bass, Vocals

Penny Keats | Guitars, Drums, Vocals

The Review:

I tend to look at split releases as two EPs on one release. The reason being that the bands involved are usually different enough that the album doesn’t flow together cohesively, thus making the album a sort of double feature rather than one whole album. While that is still the case on this split cassette release from Old Witch and Keeper, the two halves work well in tandem together, making for a less disruptive experience when listening to the whole album. If you happen to prefer one band’s contribution over the other, that’s likely accounting for personal taste rather than talent and creative ability, as both bands contribute to their specific niches exceedingly well.

Where the bands differ most is in how much they opt to diversify their songs. Old Witch, over the course of four songs, plays with softer dynamics and various styles. The opening song, “The Vague Fears That Bother My Waking Life Regarding The Inevitability Of Death And What May Or May Not Lie Beyond”, is full of drone and borderline funeral doom. Keyboards swell over guitars part that recall Sunn O))) or, more accurately, Teeth of Lions Rule The Divine. Things take some abrupt turns from there, with “Broken Soil On An Early Grave” having the sort of barbaric death metal riffs and drumbeats you might expect from Coffins, although the keyboards still play a massive role here as well. “A Gathering of Strangers” is more like the softer moments of a Sleepytime Gorilla Museum album than may have been intended, but it works as a way to break things up before “Gallows”  brings things full circle back to the sound of  the opener.

Where the Old Witch side is more diverse and layered, Keeper is laser focused on the sort of caustic doom that’s had people talking from the beginning. There's nothing pretty or subtle about Keeper’s approach, and that’s likely for the best. If there’s anyone doing this sort of ugly, miserable dirge any better, they’re obscure enough that I haven’t found them. The recipe is the same as it’s been since ‘MMXIV’, with the more traditional doom of a band like Grief colliding with the wretched corrosiveness equal to that of Khanate, whose first two albums are absolute landmarks of the genre. What it's missing in variety, it makes up for in sheer power. Having said that “With or Without pt. 1, 2 & 3” is perhaps the band’s most nuanced and well crafted song to date, with a lengthy middle section bringing a deep, rich atmosphere that sees Keeper is willing to expand their sound in a meaningful and logical way.

Which brings us back to that earlier point about these two bands playing well together. There’s more than enough to satisfy fans of either band, and both bands approach their corners of the broader doom genre admirably. However, being the greedy sort that I am, I’d love to hear a collaborative effort. I think these two halves would do an incredible job of rounding out each others’ sounds. If nothing else, these two bands could learn from what each band offers that other doesn’t. Old Witch would benefit from gaining some of Keeper’s commanding sonic aura and more powerful recording quality. Keeper, while starting to broaden their horizons already might take something from Old Witch’s ability to hit a number of different emotional tones and expanded instrumental range. Each band is on strong ground, putting out high quality music. But as great as they are, each band also highlights some opportunities to for the other to grow into something even better.

You can pick up a digital copy here, cassette copies appear to be sold out already.

RIYL: Sunn O))), Khanate, Grief, Funerary

Band info: Old Witch Facebook | Keeper Facebook

Hell Night / Cathedral Fever Split EP (Review)

Album Type: Split EP

Date Released: May 02^nd 2015

Label: Pissfork Anticulture

Hell Night Cathedral Fever Split - Track Listing:

1.Internal Bleeding (Hell Night) 02:35

2.Head Bag (Hell Night) 02:23

3.Libations Imbibed (Cathedral Fever) 02:15

4.Mansion Symposium (Cathedral Fever) 04:46

Hell Night Band Members:

Mike Craft - vocals

Andy White - Guitar

Eric Eyster - Bass

Adam Arseneau - Drums

Cathedral Fever Members:

Spencer - Drums

Derek - Bass

Jerry - Vocals

David - Guitar

Review

Well this Split EP from Hell Night and Cathedral Fever came very much as a surprise to me. I wasn't expecting much as I didn't know a great deal about both bands. Well apart from that the members of both bands are part of other projects such as TILTS and Path Of Might.

So what do we get here. You get 4 tracks of pissed off Hardcore Punk/Thrash/Stoner Rock riffs with sheer brutality to match. Both bands offer two songs on the split EP. Each showing what both bands are all about. Hell Night's songs are more of the pissed off Hardcore Punk variety but I can detect Andy White's familiar guitar riffs from TILTS so you get a nice sideline in almost Stoner Rock territory. Opening track – Internal Bleeding – is a punk/stoner/thrash hybrid that wants to party with you whilst kicking the utter shit out of you. It's got some fantastic Stoner/Thrash Rock riffs that I didn't expect.

Hell Night second track – Head Bag – carries on the same violent carnage from Internal Bleeding with lead vocalist Mike – having the time of his life on this track. The riffs are the best thing about Hell Night as they're so damn catchy despite the psychotic violent rock carnage that Hell Night ultimately bring to the party!!!

Up next is Cathedral Fever – And this is where things take a more darker and sinister turn as these guys play a more dangerous blend of Stoner/Thrash/Doom/Punk Rock and they're the most exciting of the two bands. No offence to Hell Night as they're a great band but Cathedral Fever are the most exciting of the two bands. As they don't FUCK about here. The two songs – Libations Imbibed and Mansion Symposium – that Cathedral Fever offer here sees the band venture into more violent and dangerous territory. Mansion Symposium is the standout track here as it's a thrilling style of Hardcore Punk, Doom, Stoner and Thrash with traces of Psychedelic Rock lurking in the shadows.

All in all this is great split EP to showcase the talents of two superb bands to check out especially if you're into Dark Aggressive Hardcore Punk. Though I would love to see a full-length record from both bands in the future. Just to see if these guys have the vision and talent to create something more longer on offer here.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks To Andy from Hell Night for the promo. Hell Night Cathedral Fever Split is available to buy on DD and Cassette now from both band's BandCamp page..

For More Information

Hell Night

Facebook | BandCamp

Cathedral Fever

Facebook | BandCamp

Mortals/Repellers - ‘Split’ EP (Review)

Album Type: Split EP

Date Released: 10/03/2015

Label: Broken Limbs Recordings

‘Split’ LP//DD track listing:

1. Mortals - 10 Years of Filth

2. Repellers - Descend

3. Repellers - From Jericho to Ai

4. Repellers - False Solace

Mortals is:

Lesley Wolf | Bass, Vocals

Elizabeth Cline | Guitar, Vocals

Caryn Havlik | Drums

Repellers is:

Rob Peraitis | Bass, Vocals

Tony Secreto | Drums, Vocals

Jon Rifenburg | Guitar Vocals

Review:

Mortals are one of the most exciting bands of the last several years. While they’ve been around for five years, their 2014 album ‘Cursed to See the Future’ through Relapse Records was one of the great albums of the year, and for many—myself included—it was their first exposure to the band. Now they’re back with a split EP on Broken Limbs recordings with Philadelphia’s Repellers.

Mortals starts the EP off in fantastic fashion with their sole contribution, “10 Years of Filth”. The track largely follows the same formula from ‘Cursed to See the Future’, a potent blend of High on Fire style sludge and melodic black metal. They also continue to write longer songs in a kind of movement-style arrangement rather than verse chorus. “10 Years of Filth” is a smorgasbord of towering riffs and thunderous drums, from its early sludge stampede to the borderline thrash and black metal section that makes up the songs later stages.

Every member of Mortals plays a vital role. Vocalist/bassist Lesley Wolf’s coarse howl has all the power and savagery of later-era Chuck Schuldiner, but she also knows when to lay out and let the music carry the moment. Elizabeth Cline’s guitar work is deceptively simple-sounding. Having seen her bring these riffs to life in a live setting sees her seemingly doing the guitar work of two people, with sprawling, layered chords. Drummer Caryn Havlik’s varied drumming approach is equally impressive. While she certainly hits as hard as anyone, she’s also has an exceptional mind for crafting unique rhythms and drum beats within a heavy metal framework. It should go without saying that this split deserves a listen based on this track alone. Luckily, the split would warrant an easy recommendation even if this were just a Repellers EP.

Repellers have been active for a few years now, though they’ve only put out short-form releases to this point. This split is my first exposure to the band, but it’s clear they're onto something with their crusty melodic death metal approach. “Descend” is anchored by alternating riffs that would sound at home on an early Amon Amarth or (forgive the obscure reference) Prophanity album, complemented by some His Hero is Gone style crust throughout.

Elsewhere, Repellers evoke the moodiest material of crust legends Misery and late 90s Impaled Nazarene, all while giving their own unique spin on things and gracefully avoiding coming across as a band too closely tied to their influences. One can’t help but see great things for Repellers as time goes on, as they’ve got all the pieces in play for a fantastic full length some day. Repellers is a band on the ascent that absolutely demands your attention if you have any interest in the genres they blend.

While there are definitely splits where one band is clearly at a higher level than the other, that isn’t really the case here. You might have an inclination towards one band or the other based on genre preference, but these are two bands making excellent music, and that’s all you can really ask for on a release like this.

Words by: Daniel Jackson

You can pick up a digital copy here and a CD/LP copy here.

For more information:

Mortals Facebook | Repellers Facebook

Hazarder / Hesperian Death Horse - The Electric Wizard Split EP (Review)

Album Type: Split EP

Date Released: 07/01/2014

Label: PMK Records

‘The Electric Wizard’ track listing:

1). Hazarder – The Electric Wizard (05:42)

2). Hesperian Death Horse – Tesla  (08:39)

Review:

Hazarder begin the split with a crunching sludgefest of a riff that would feel just fine in a High on Fire track that builds and morphs as the song moves forward without losing the feel of the original line. Sweaty, chaotic-but-tight drums fill up a ton of space and grow steadily in intensity throughout the tune without ever feeling out of control. Burly mid-range vocals have a great sound; unfortunately they never change cadence or tone, leading to a bit of monotony. After a few minutes of the progressively fury-building atmosphere it suddenly drops out of nowhere into an ambient hum that drags through the last minute or so, all the rage dissipating into nothingness. I feel like these guys have a sound that I could get behind, but occasionally run the risk of not doing enough with their ability. Exceptional when it's on, sort of average when it isn't. Luckily this track manages to stay mostly on.

A chiming guitar over a pulsing, low, but unresolving drum pattern builds a spacy tension at the beginning of Hesperian Death Horse's side of their fantastic split with Hazarder titled "The Electric Wizard", a dual ode to Nikola Tesla. The intro exudes a vibe of walking through a dark laboratory, where everything is switched off and dark but in the silence you can hear that almost inaudible electrical hum of a machine lying in wait. There is barely a transition from this pulsating anxiety as a uniquely hypnotic hoarse grind smashes into being, riding an askew groove under a ragged-voiced glass-gargler howling in their native Croatian.

Pulling elements of sludge, psych, black metal, noise, crust, drone, and a handful of other subgenres is something attempted by more and more lately, with quite a few bands and artists seeing the inherent overlaps of mood or emotion that cross traditional genre boundaries. This song shows how extremely fluent HDH are in each stylistic shift and combination they attempt, and that fluency leads to the shifts themselves feeling effortless and natural even when chords and noises collide in discordance, or when intentionally unsettling sounds are used in the middle of an otherwise mesmeric riff. Everything works even when it doesn't, or shouldn't, which is a key element of their sound.

The violent and vulturous lyrics easily make their point even if you don't speak the language: repetitive exhortations to eat shit, filthy and mean. Leeches, light, quagmire, and uterus summed up and tossed haphazardly onto your plate, choke it down. A break comes in the form of revisiting the intro psychedelia in a noisier, abrasive manner that ramps up the pressure and misanthropy leading into an ultra raw black metal-gone-awry breakdown. The rasping, damaged vocals shriek their lungs empty while it crashes down and a drowning fadeout of feedback finalises it. 8 1/2 minutes of crushing cacophony crossed with an ethereal ghostliness that at times reminded me of Atlas Moth and somehow simultaneously of Mütiilation (and that's before we even get to the near-noise rock elements.) Killer genre-bender.

Words by: James Harris

For more information:

http://pmkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-electric-wizard-split-ep

Graves At Sea/Sourvein - Split EP (Review)

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 13/5/2014

Label: Seventh Rule Recordings

Graves at Sea/Sourvein Split EP CD/LP track listing

1.GRAVES AT SEA – Betting On Black 07:43
2. GRAVES AT SEA – Confession 07:34
3. SOURVEIN – Drifter 03:49
4. SOURVEIN – Equinox 03:06
5. SOURVEIN – Follow The Light 05:31

Bio:

Two of doom metal’s mightiest of feedback-laden riff worshippers – Portland’s GRAVES AT SEA and Cape Fear’s SOURVEIN – have united in sound, mind and spirit for the ultimate split of earth-smoldering amplifier worship.

GRAVES AT SEA, whose contributions leave an eerie aura complete with tortured vocals, foreboding composition, and a general sense of dread, occupy Side A. Recorded by Billy Anderson, (Melvins, Sleep, Neurosis) “Betting On Black” and “Confession” finds the all-consuming sludge for which the band is notorious, flooding in amongst the tortured howls and shrieks of vocalist Nathan Misterek.

SOURVEIN, who’ve now existed for two decades of distortion, damage and total doom, solidify Side B. With three songs produced and recorded by Mike Dean of Corrosion of Conformity, these odes of heavy combine toxic riffs, grooves and just the right amount of psychedelic appeal.

Both sides were mastered by Brad Boatright (Sleep, Beastmilk, Nails) at Audiosiege Engineering and will be released via Seventh Rule Recordings on both CD and LP on May 13th, 2014 during the two bands’ duel conquest touring Europe and prior to their appearances at this year’s edition of the illustrious Maryland Deathfest. The first pressing of the LP will be limited to 1000 copies and come available on 160-gram black wax with an included download code. Recommended for fans of Eyehategod, Black Sabbath, Electric Wizard, and all things loud and fuzzy.

Review:

Portland based doom/sludge metal-ers (yes another doom band from Portland, is there something in the water there?!) Graves at Sea have teamed with fuzz ridden Sourvein for this five track down tuned offering. Released on Seventh Rule Recordings, mastered by Brad Boatright (Sleep, Beastmilk, Nails) and topped off with some incredible artwork, both bands amalgamate to lay down their distorted riffs and twisted doom stylings, resulting in a must have metal record.

After splitting in 2008 Graves at Sea thankfully reformed in 2012, and returned revitalized in 2013 with new bassist Jeff McGarrity and drummer Bryan Sours. With only a handful of releases, and their only album being a re-issue of their demo ‘Documents of Grief’ they have gained notable cult popularity. And it’s not difficult to see why, as within the first minute of ‘Betting on Black’ I’m hooked. Nathan’s raspy tortured vocals are something to behold, immersing a blackened tinge to the sludgy chug of the guitar. As pessimistic and bleak as it is, the lyric ‘You lose every time. You’re born into this world of shit and then you die’ is unforgettable and works perfectly with the grimness of the vocals. Graves at Sea are truly unique, and excel on the two tracks they offer to the split.

Sourvein are the more veteran of the two bands, with three full lengths, three EP’s and seven splits under their belts. Offering a more psychedelic approach to the doom metal paradigm, it perfectly complements the blackened rhythms of Graves at Sea. Reverb aplenty, particularly in ‘Equinox’, and some groove laden riffs, Sourvein showcase their doom/sludge/psychedelic hybrid to great effect. The frequent change in pace from slow dawdling riffs to the head banging rhythm sections injects a lively thrust to the distorted haze.

Both bands are no strangers to the recording of splits; therefore it was only a matter of time before these two put their musical prowess on to the same release. While splits are certainly not about whose input is better, Graves at Sea are a band I had vague familiarity with before this release, but I’m now scouring the internet for more material, a fantastic discovery.   

Words by: Heather Blewett   

You can pick up a copy here

For more information:

http://www.facebook.com/GravesAtSea
https://www.facebook.com/pages/SOURVEIN/238932972468
http://www.seventhrule.com
http://instagram.com/seventhrule
http://seventhrulerec.tumblr.com/
http://twitter.com/seventhrule