Friday 8 November 2013

Dungeön Hammer / Rust - Frozen Wasteland / Summon the Burning (Split 7" EP, 2012)





















The Dungeön Hammer side starts with an almost Celtic Frost-like riff, full of menace and supplemented with rolls on the tupperware drums. The sound is dripping with hall-like reverb that sounds very natural, and the only downside to the production is the lack of stand-out bass. A little more audible attack and the songs would have a bit more punch. However, the two songs are well crafted and have a swaggering black-core vibe that is hard to do well. Hellwolves is a mid-tempo song with two interesting solos. Bloodkult is a little more like a romp through Tom G. Warrior's riff box, with foot-stomping goodness aplenty. There's plenty of cymbal in there. I like cymbal. Lots of grim utterances from vocalist "R." in his powerful voice, sounding like a Fenriz who's had too much whiskey. All in all, a heavy and inviting concoction of cavernous black metal crossover.























Rust have a more traditional black metal sound, kicking off their side like a mixture of Darkthrone and Marduk, blasting their way through opener Hellsaw in what seems like no time at all (but is actually three and a half minutes). The riff is quite generic, but is played well, and the song is thoroughly enjoyable. Second song Death's Curse is fantastic. There is energy in abundance and one can almost hear the heavy breathing of the band as they rip through riffs like there's no tomorrow. There are stop-start moments that showcase the band's excellent timing and sense of rhythm, before they pummel their way to an abrupt and punky ending.

If you like your black metal raw and savage, you can't go wrong with this split EP.