What we have here is a 3-way split album that is essentially a mix between slow depressive black metal filled with personal issues and fast extreme black metal filled with hateful energy. While some listeners may say this is an odd mix of bands for a split, others may say it wouldn't matter as what is presented on here as a whole delivers such variety that can be seen as joining forces with artists whom separately holds a unique mindset with a personal touch of both talent and spirit that can place possible listeners in the artists' own minds of cold creativity, especially considering the different sub genres of black metal hold specific settings and themes. As such, this release simply titled "2014 Split" can possibly serve as not just a reminder that not all black metal bands are the same but also a reminder that there's solid atmospheric energy to be found both within and outside the underground metal scene, and this album is something that can definitely hit the listeners with that very same energy.
This split album begins with the Welsh artist known as Anesmwythder, whom delivers the depressive side of the black metal genre. We open with clean guitar plucking that keeps a steady tempo for a good 30 seconds until it activates it's distortion effect as the drum work performs a steady mid-paced tempo with it's use of the ride cymbals, crash cymbals, double bass kicks and snare beats. The production keeps a clean quality on the drums that doesn't bury it underneath the distorted guitar riffing. The composition of the instruments keep a melodic structure with minor notes that changes it's pace at times, ranging from a slow tempo with the use of clean guitar picking to a raw fast tremolo riffing. This is very DSBM in nature and some listeners may easily compare it to other DSBM acts such as Thy Light and Sadness. The vocals give a performance of raw croaks that very much remains the same throughout the first track of this artist's side of the split, with no sudden bursts of loud cries or harsh ear-piercing shrieks. The lyrics themselves are written with very deep and personal messages as they speak of the artist struggling with their own identity. While they are not fully straightforward of how the artist could possibly feel this way to begin with, they give poetic speeches and wishes about having themselves scalped away and be granted something more pleasing to their cold dead eyes for they feel sick of being trapped as they describe it. While the entire experience of this first track is something that is very easily relatable for people whom may be struggling with such similar issues, the artist brings us the second track that serves as their final piece for their side of this split album that's somewhat shorter in length. Just like the first track, this second track opens with clean guitar picking. Rather than letting out the raw croak-styled vocals quickly, the artist instead opens with slow clean chanting that has a very female-like tone to it. This lasts for at least over a minute until the instruments pick up their pace with the guitar going off into slow raw tremolo riffs as the drum work keeps a slow tempo that maintains it's use of it's supporting cymbals, beats and kicks. The entire performance delivers a series of solos and tremolo pickings that keep the cold atmosphere in place with the occasional mix of clean and raw quality coming into play for some moments.
But now that Anesmwythder's side is over with, the depressive theme is not quite over yet as we continue the split with the next band Coedwig Machen whom delivers a series of clean guitar pickings that are layered over another set of clean guitar pickings. While the tempo for the clean guitars maintain a slow performance, this eventually changes as the guitar work breaks out into raw tremolo riffs that delivers a faster paced performance than what the split album opened with alongside the drum work themselves. The vocals deliver a performance that's even more harsh than before as it gives a loud frequency of shrieks that can be comparable to Silencer in a couple parts. While the style is typical in the nature of black metal, it keeps the cold atmosphere maintained as it takes it's own good moments to pause for the instruments to perform their series of slow and fast paced riffs with scales that gives a solid DSBM composition. Now although this split album begins by delivering two separate artists with depressive elements, we eventually reach the extreme and anger side with the third and last featured artist Nyctophilia. Rather than sharing a unique depressive tone, this last artist instantly delivers a series of fast riffing/soloing and drum blasts that have a more hateful energy than the previous two artists with a hint of rock and roll influence that can be identified in the track "Frozen from Within". As such, this may throw listeners off and they may even go as far as to say this is out of place. However, this is not exactly a bad thing as this artist remains capable of creating a hateful atmosphere with their delivery of raw distorted screeches, raw guitar riffs that also slows it's pace down for a good few moments along with the drum work that follows the very same formula.
This 2014 Split by these three artists is something that can be seen as a recruitment, and the featured artists can be seen as soldiers joining together to release their unique creativity of mindsets whether it be personal issues or simple downright misanthropy. However fans may see it, this album is a piece of variety they surely may not want to miss. ... See More
