By: Andre Almaraz
Album Type: Split Cassette
Date Released: 29/06/2018
Label: Hand of Death Records
With a sound that is as brutal and evocative as it is soothing and
chaotic, this is a perfect pairing of two songs by two different bands joined
together on one split.
“Split” CS//DD track listing:
1). Aseethe, “Wrong”
2).
Snow Burial, “Sever The Bloodline”
The Review:
Coming
soon on cassette tape and digital release by Hand Of Death
Records is this split recording by two of the most impressive metal
trios the midwestern United States has to offer; Iowa City’s Aseethe and Chicago’s Snow Burial. The
cassette will contain one song by each band on each side and is due to be
released on 6/29/2018.
Aseethe’s contribution is a song titled “Wrong.” Howling amplifier
feedback fades in and then breaks into a classic four chord death march
complete with guttural vocals right from the strum of the very first
chord. The primitive brutality is given a modern spin by the backbeat
shuffle of the drummer which takes an otherwise straightforward part into the
realm of something that feels slightly askew, as the band is known for
doing. The second riff builds chaos and suspense with a sinister blend of
chords, chugs, and noise. After a short rest, the backbeat death march
returns but this time it’s with a howling vocal style which is a bit higher in
pitch. This gives the part a more tortured and tormented feel than it had the
first time around. A pummeling third riff brings the track to another
rest before a snare roll chimes in to lead the charge into the ending movement
of the song; a frenzied mesh of growls, howls, noise, and thunder.
On the subject of the split, the band states on their Facebook page that their
song “is a bit different for us.” If this is a new direction the band is
currently experimenting with, I would highly encourage them to continue on this
path because this is the most crushing Aseethe I’ve ever heard.
Now
for Snow Burial’s contribution; a song they call
“Sever The Bloodline.” Huge
guitar chords introduce the track before the other instruments kick in with a
thunderous blast of brute force. Once the vocals join the attack, you
know instantly that this piece of music is seriously pissed off. The mood
teeters back and forth between sludge and post metal throughout the entire
track and the inclusion of a laser sharp prog inspired middle section adds yet
another precise dimension to the already devastating mixture. The
pristine subtlety of the drums makes the song shine brightly during this
portion and lets you know that Snow Burial is
purposefully on track to turn some heads in a big way. Once the
impressive middle movement morphs into the closing segment of the track,
brutality and complexity coalesce in perfect horrifying harmony for a grand
finale that assaults all the senses at once and without mercy. The
flawless interplay of the bass and drums combined with the guitar and vocals
floating over the top throughout the entire song can be called nothing less
than mastery of their craft as the differing levels of aggression build and
break like ocean waves crashing against jagged rocks.
Each
band here is extremely aggressive in their interpretation yet uniquely
different in their delivery. Both outfits offer something that is sonically
massive and each one produces an atmosphere that is recognizable to me as
originating from the broad shoulders and clenched fists of the Midwestern
United States. As a resident myself, I am proud to share a time zone with bands
of this caliber. With a sound that is as brutal and evocative as it is
soothing and chaotic, this is a perfect pairing of two songs by two different
bands joined together on one split.
Band
info: Aseethe
|| Snow Burial
