Album Type: CD / Tape
Date Released: 8/09/2015
Label: Red Valley
…damn when the guitars kick in! Your gut drops at the sheer thickness and weight of the disgust. Powerful and an intense drive that makes you want wreck everything around you and Overall this is a great pairing of bands, both bringing something different to the table, but yet both still so violently pleasing
“Grey Widow / Sons of Tonatiuh” CD//CS tracklisting:
1. Grey Widow “X”
2. Grey Widow “Obey” (Leechmilk cover)
3. Sons of Tonatiuh “Skull File”
4. Sons of Tonatiuh “Wounded” (Cavity cover)
5. Sons of Tonatiuh “Sun Goes Down” (Killing Joke cover)
6. Sons of Tonatiuh “The Oracle”
The Review:
This split begins with Grey Widow’s track “X” with slow, thick plodding drums for a solid minute before the wash of amp worship and feedback fades in, very reminiscent of the uneasy nature of a Corrupted album. Samples fade into the mix, adding additional layers to the building tension. But damn when the guitars kick in! Your gut drops at the sheer thickness and weight of the disgust. Aching vocals bleed through with such scorn and distaste for everything. It’s about the 5:30 mark when they shift gears from the sludgy tar pit to a crustier, angst driven kick in the teeth. This drive is perfect and just when you really start digging on it really good, it bottoms back out to the thick ass molasses / amp choking riff to finish out the track.
Next up is my favorite track of the split, Grey Widow do a mean as fuck cover of Leechmilk’s “Obey” The tones are so thick and breathe new life into an already timeless song. I can’t help but get into this track every time I hear it! Grey Widow is an amazing band and look forward to seeing what else this crushing band has to offer in the future!
Sons of Tonatiuh kick off their portion of the split with “Skull File” a slow build introduction that from off the bat is teeth clenching hatred. The duel vocals evoke sheer anger and maximum hostility, which match perfectly to the tone and style of SoTs music. “Wounded” is next and has a serious crusty d-beat feel to it. Powerful and an intense drive that makes you want wreck everything around you, especially with Dan’s vocals leading the charge; fiery and demanding.
This track is very reminiscent of the old Leechmilk days.
“Sun Goes Down” keeps the drive going with this Killing Joke cover. Executed with excellence with heavy crunch and a steady chug that’s like “Fuck yeah!” Closing out SoTs side of the split is “The Oracle” a heavy hitting track that slows it back down to a crawl through a dreary sludge romp. Everything about this band clicks for me, and I’m glad to see that maybe all the pieces have fallen into place for Sons of Tonatiuh. Guitar and bass tones compliment each other perfectly and drumming with the right amount of knowing when to be in the pocket and to come forward and kick it up a bit!
Overall this is a great pairing of bands, both bringing something different to the table, but yet both still so violently pleasing. Be on the look out for this to drop in early September!
This is split is available here
RIYL: Fistula, Leechmilk, Dopefight, Killing Joke, Cavity, Buzz*oven
