Barathrum: This was a real surprise. Even though Demonos Sova has been talking about new album, after waiting for such things happen, I lost hope. Then this came. I ordered this as fast as I could. When I received this this had another surprise in its sleeve. I never expected for the Barathrum side to as good as it is.
The production is much dirtier than anything the band had done after Legions of Perkele. The production brings to my mind their debut, Hailstorm, with better vocals and bass and guitar more audible. The songs are much faster than I expected and more rocking. Their black/doom isnt really prominent here but it doesnt really matter. This split also contains first time I have heard a Barathrum song start with guitar feedback.
Of course the songs have their problems. Monsters is clearly worst song Barathrum has on this split. Mass Destruction would have benefited from havin the verses, not choruses sung more than once. Other than that, the songs are full of hooks and it is pretty much quaranteed that you will want to play Barathrum side again and again and again and again... and again...
Epäkristus has one of the best names for black metal band I have heard in a long time. Too bad that their music doesn't really do much for me. The band has decided to go in the vein of bands like Darkthrone with fast music, cold production. After hearing that kind of black metal for some hundreds of times by different bands it starts to wear its novelty, badly.
For what it is, the music is excellent. The band has really nailed down the dark atmosphere found on albums such as Transilvanian Hunger or Under A Funeral Moon. The songwriting is way better than what I expect from this kind of bands. The musicianship is good. The atmosphere is only reason for me to ever listen to this side. Otherwise I find the bands music boring. As bottomline, Epäkristus isnt for me, it doesnt interest me, it does nothing for me.
The artwork is fitting for the split. The cover painting by Sova is good. The title of the split is written in very bright red which makes it stand out from the cover artwork and it looks ugly. Also, no A or B side markers. I still don't understand why the hell not.
If you enjoy black metal. If you like Barathrum. Get this.
...Über-evil monsters of unkown realms, ready to tear your soul apart...