The EP, Split and Single Post Part 2 [Things You Might Have Missed 2022]

This is Part 2 of the EP, Split and Single Post, which began here.

Do you ever get the sense that bands release 60-minute albums because they’re “supposed to”? Their last record saw the establishment or continuity of a fanbase eager for more content. 3 years have passed and they’ve only written 30 minutes they’re happy with. Suddenly they feel the social pressure of fan expectations and the financial pressure of a record label breathing down their necks. 5 more tracks are bashed out in a 2-week period out of sheer necessity, comfortable in the knowledge that most listeners will shower anything they create with ignorant praise¹. What follows is either a tired re-tread of old material or a distinct disparity in song-writing quality across the record.

Do you know how to avoid this problem in the first place? Just fucking release those 30 minutes as they are (an EP). Or combine them with similar songs from a band you’re friendly with (a split). Or pool your unrefined ideas with songwriters from other groups (a collaboration). Or cut down the best of the 30 minutes into just a couple of tracks (a single). These formats exist to complement the full-length album and should not be ignored. Miss our quality recommendations at your own risk. – El Cuervo

Tchornobog / Abyssal // Split – My unabashed love for Abyssal is well-known, and I clashed with the illustrious Eldritch Elitist over Markov Soroka’s slimy death act Tchornobog. After this split was announced, I nearly soiled my hollow pants and discovered that they sounded similar – it lives up to every expectation. Tchornobog’s track, the controversial “The Vomiting Choir”² focuses on the riff, refusing to settle into the muck that bogged down their debut. Meanwhile, Abyssal hints at a new direction with a strangely frail approach on “Antechamber of the Wakeless Mind,” feeling more ethereal or crystalline than abyssal. Utilizing its doom elements for an epic swirl of contemplation and punishment, its raw production can be off-putting in its lack of depth – but embodying the light requires risk. Admirably, both acts tie their offerings together, utilizing similar riff patterns and melodic motifs, along with the services of Ophidian I and ex-Beneath drummer Ragnar Sverrisson. The result feels like a scenic journey through the slime and the muck, to emerge at the forbidden light at the end of the tunnel: a knowledge-maddening and world untapped by human eyes. –Dear Hollow

Ar’lyxkq’wr // Ss’unnhl / N’yxlwrr – Look, this band was almost impossible to track down. Pretty sure Google thought I was having a seizure. Upon hearing debut Ss’unnhl and follow-up N’yxlwrr, I’m not convinced I’m not. The British entity Ar’lyxkq’wr is a fuckin’ trip, making the phrase “experimental” blush. It would be easy to draw from its sister acts Acausal Intrusion, Zvylpwkua, or Apothecary, Ar’lyxkq’wr is so much wonkier. While a ragged death metal tug o’ war a la Plasmodium or Clades lend themselves to the wild percussion, layers of dissonant guitar and shuddering bass simultaneously bewilder and punish, the resounding ambiance that bleeds into every faceless form that stalks across these records, teeth and claws twitching with every bite. Glitching the very fabric of reality with the grace and violence of a cat wandering across the keyboard, tracks like “」​±​ż​*​ť​⁶​}​°​DRBLQr​|​《​ZQT​Į​]” will “Ý​į​’​,​⁸​⁸​⁹​²​『​^​¤​》” the ever-“•​●​」​⁴​⅔​/​_​—​‽​⁹​」” “I xv​ū​^​œ​mc​,​Ł” out of you. Lose yours̵̢̨̡̨͈̲̯̮̪̬̼̻͙̘͈̥̪̪̫͎̪̳̯͚̝̪̃͐̓̏̂̍́̎͂͊͛̇̀͘̚͜ͅe̵͚̮͈̾̂̃́̓̿͑͂̑́́̌̉̈̏̆̾́̿͐͌̇͌̕̕͠͝l̴̢̡̩͉̞̭̜̱̖̼̥͉̻͙͇̿́̌̄̊́͝͝͝ͅf̵̖̯̮̘̟̣̟͓̼̍̈́̈́̂̾͗̍͊̈́̽̓́̓́͆̊̆̿̉̿͘͠ ̶̢̧̧͎͔̫͇̳͓̟̖̩̼̳̘̥͉̘̜̯̓̃̎̍̓̓̾̃̍͊̀͂͂͆̅͌́͊͝͠ͅi̸̢̺̜̖̟͈͖̜̞͈̟̲̙̜͈̝̞͖͑̊̈̉̓͛͆͆̀̎̀̑̉͑̌̏n̵̢̖̝͓̩̫͈̣̳̈́͒͑͂̓̆͌̿͌̕͠ͅ ̶̧̧̨̨̡͎̟̫̤̫͇̣̲̲͍͙̣̦͙̝̟̟̣̮̲̦̻͈̀̾̀̕͜ͅţ̶̡̛͕͖͇̹̘̪̘̩̮͉̭̹͎̝͙͆̈́̂̐̑̀̓͗͒̿͒̄̔̀͑̊̌́̊̚͜ͅͅh̶̨̨̡͚̠̲͖͓̿̓̅̑̓̑̄̅͋̈́͠͠e̸͉̯̜͐͌͊̋͋̀̐̒͒̾̕ͅ ̴̛̮͇̣̳̯̬̖̣͎̭̈́̿̎̀̋͑͊͋̓̽͛̑͘͠ģ̷̡̥̯͓̱̰̙̤̥͈̩͖̩͕̟͕̟̗͇̼̪̈́̔̇̾͊̌͛͑̉̊́͗̐̐̈́̈́̌͌͝a̸̢̗̦̩͉͖̝̲̠͉̦̯̻̱̯̥̖̞͚̹͒̄̉͑͑̈̽̈́́̍͐̀̕͝ͅr̸̦͖̣̳̖͍̙̣̲͔̪̺̱͎̮̱̻͉̞̍͒̿̽́̄͒͘͜r̶̡̛̝̼̪͆̓́̏͂̑̾̉̐͆̀̄̐̈̀͂̓̐̓́̚͘r̶̯̋͘r̶̡̙̤͓̰̺̫̱͌͒̂̅̄́̎̓͆̏͌̊̀̿̋̈́͗̇͘̕̚͝͝ṙ̶̖͍͖̱͈̲̾̓̂̈̓̏̎̒̊͒̇͌̐̈́͛̆̉͝͝r̵̠̱̻͔̘̫̞̟͙̬͎̽̈͐̀̍̈́͂͊̈́̈́̐̃̊̐͌͝͝r̸̢̯̠͉͎͓̥̲̦͇̹̣̳͒̓̈́̍͊͂͘͝͝r̸̟̱͚̳̗̬̮̺̠̳͎̺̠̖͔̈́́̌̈͑́̅̔͠r̷̢̡̨̧̜͖͙͓̝̘͕̭̖̭̯̣̙̮̭̣̟̪̗̐̄̒͑̋́̇̽̒̅͂̇̉̽͛̅͛͋̐̀͜͜ͅͅŕ̸̢̢̛̥̺̠͍̼͖̩͓͖̭̭̯̭̦͍̗͖̱̲̮̥̲̝̤̩̲̲̩̈́̈́̓̓͒̒̀͊̐̑̋͋̐͗͑̾͑͘ŗ̸̫̙͓̲͈͎̹̱̮̠͓̣̳̞̻̦̈́͋͂͛͌̆͗͗͐̓̀͘͘̚̚͠ͅͅ… –Dear Hollow

Rejoice! The Light Has Come // Untitled 2022 EP – If you were with us for 2020’s roundup, you may have been blessed with the all-consuming darkness of West Virginia’s Rejoice! The Light Has Come. Taking cues from its predecessor, the Untitled 2020 EP, this ascetic collective still embraces the Gorguts-meets-Ulcerate template, but remains in their own dimension entirely. While the otherworldly melodies are hinted a la Obscura and the rhythmic abruptness recalls The Destroyers of All, R!TLHC’s uniquely black-sans-death interpretation takes the cake for haunting evocation rather than skull-crushing intensity, eerie leads comprising crooked cathedrals atop the sinister mountains and shifting sands of jagged rhythms and gravelly roars. Its evasive title speaks for itself, but when the dark grins back, you’ll know it’s too late to turn back. –Dear Hollow

Emasculator // Depraved Disfigurement – Emasculator caught my eye because of the band’s coincidental similarities to Castrator, as a similarly-named all-woman band making vitriolic feminist death metal. Their debut demo Depraved Disfigurement is worthy listening for any brutal death metal lover. In a genre that’s notorious for lazy tropes, Depraved Disfigurement stands out through its sheer variety and energy. Guitarist Teresa Wallace lays down gruesome riffs that last long enough to penetrate your brain but never long enough to bore, alongside Morgehenna’s throbbing bass backbone and Mallika Sundaramurthy’s roars. And when it slams, it slaps. Barn burner “Age of the Goddess” is a highlight, with fearsome riffs that alternate between Suffocation’s Pierced from Within and mid-career Immolation. While the robotic drum programming is grating at times, it’s a small price to pay. Emasculator seems to have made a small splash in the underground. They deserve a much bigger one. –Maddog

VoidCeremony // At the Periphery of Human Realms – Our last take on VoidCeremony was lukewarm, but they’ve redeemed themselves with At the Periphery of Human Realms. This pithy demo is death metal with a twist, darting frantically between Morbid Angel riffs, bouts of death-doom, off-tempo technical death metal, and blackened breaks. It’s unadulterated fun, with a dizzying array of earworm death metal riffs right from the get-go. VoidCeremony’s new lethal weapon is guitarist Phil Tougas (First Fragment, Worm, Atramentus, every other band). At the Periphery of Human Realms is littered with unhinged psychedelic leads befitting a 20 Buck Spin record, which are an endlessly entertaining cherry on top. VoidCeremony has tightened up their songwriting too; instead of hopscotching through disconnected ideas, they’ve learned to build up memorable themes for listeners to latch onto. Anyone who likes their death metal both maniacal and exciting should take note. –Maddog

Ando San // Bipolar – What a world we live in where guitar music plus hip hop doesn’t have to equal nu-metal (or an Anthrax song). Ando San hopped onto my radar back in 2020 with his Schemin Season release, which contained the kind of tricky, inspiring guitar work that you’d find by a subdued hero like Jakub Żytecki (Disperse) accompanied by the pop and slap-happy bass antics you’d find on an Evan Brewer (Entheos, Fallujah). solo release. However, with a dash of beat-driven Fat Jon energy, Ando Sanߵs music will more likely help you relax on a sunny porch with a cold drink, even as we lull into a hibernal frost. With Bipolar, Ando San continues down the chill path, adding a more pronounced and relaxed beat influence—think Nujabes—and organically woven, lightly conscious rapping (“Never Going Back,” “The Center”). Other tracks with lyrics still hit just as intimate, with the early romp of “Pardon My Energy” showcasing a stuttered funk and the downtempo “Bipolar” closing the collection on a sullen plea. If you need to cleanse your palate before your next outing with slamming breakdowns—or if you need to scrape your tongue of your latest black metal band to out themselves as shitheads—consider a romp with Ando San. –Dolphin Whisperer

Speglas // Time, Futility & Death – Did you like Sweven[]s The Eternal Resonance? If so, spare no minute and go listen to this EP Time, Futility & Death ASAP. Boasting two-thirds of the Sweven lineup, it’s not surprising to hear that the melancholy and harmonies that created 2020’s most interesting exploration of relaxing Swedish death metal pervades this smaller outing. However, without Richard Andersson here to provide his uniquely shrieked out vocals, Isak Koskinen Rosemarin steps up to the mic to deliver a slightly more traditional blackened howl that steers Speglas down a driving yet still cinematic path all their own. Speglas leans on progressive structures in a different way too, with the swinging gait of “At The Precipice” recalling early Fates Warning against the subtle post-rock swell, which culminates some supremely tasty lead work against the hypnotic piano backing. Continuing to offer unpredictable yet heavily attachable switches, Speglas uses a melodic black metal base to interject their emotional crescendos with “One Last Midnight,” a track that makes this EP worth a snag alone. We may only be here for a limited time—Speglas gets that—so if the buffet that Sweven offered seemed too daunting of a task, pick up this bite-sized, like-minded counterpart. –Dolphin Whisperer

Vile Rites // The Ageless – Soaked in layers of effects and with a mix distanced by reverb, Vile Rites calls their ugly amalgamation of zonked-out basslines and screeching trem exclamations psych death metal. Recalling the most tech-leaning moments of Death alongside modern, unsettling pummels—not unlike Morbid Angel—The Ageless continues to be one of the most solid slabs of “some frills” death metal that the year had to offer. Often progressive but never obtuse, Vile Rites throws down a couple raging tracks (“Laid Across the Altars of Time,” “By Virtue of Chaos”) that marry the violence of early death/thrash acts with fiery-fingered lead virtuosity. And while they certainly could keep a pit circling with those numbers, a few hands in the air trying to finger and thump in vain, it’s the Anata-tinged melodicism that balances drama and dragging on “Spectre of Forgotten Light” that seals the “follow, buy, and watch” on this young California three-piece. I don’t think they quite fulfill the promise of “psych death metal,” but that matters little—this shit rips, and it’s only a debut. Catch this act on the ground floor while you can! –Dolphin Whisperer

Qrixkuor // Zoetrope – England’s premiere long-form surrealist death metal outfit followed up 2021’s Poison Palinopsia with an EP consisting of a single twenty-four-minute track. “Zoetrope (Psychospiritual Sparagmos)” unfolds across two distinct acts bridged by an interstitial section featuring unsettling piano work. The first movement introduces itself with an elephantine stomp and sway that segues into frightening chaos, while the vocals in part two sound like a cult whose ecstatic ululations call forth something massive and terrible. One of Qrixkuor’s Bandcamp supporters describes the EP thusly: “Like having your brains passed around and smoked by a group of celestial monsters.” Since no one can top that description, I’ll just co-sign it and carve out another twenty-five minutes to offer up my grey matter. –Ferox

Winds of Leng // Morbid Entities – Arizona blackened death entity Winds of Leng turned heads with their debut Horrid Dominion. That was five long years ago, and while it’s disappointing they haven’t released a second full-length yet, the outfit lavished these four tracks with enough care and feeding to make their new EP feel like an event. Dan “The Man” Swanö his own exalted self handled the mixing and mastering, and the band commissioned separate artwork for each song. The songwriting chops that made their debut a standout remain intact; Winds of Leng has a knack for calibrating the amount of “black” in their blackened death mixture to the precise needs of a given composition. Third song “Into Leng” brings the frosty influences to the foreground before ceding the spotlight to the savage death groove of closer “Monuments of Agony.” There’s not a wasted moment on Morbid Entities–if Winds of Leng sustained this standard over a full-length, we’d be talking about this as a potential lister. –Ferox

Dark Forest // Ridge & Furrow – I loved Dark Forest’s 2020 album, Oak, Ash & Thorn. No one is more surprised by this than me. I generally find olde personne metal boring and soft. But there was so much undeniable warmth and catchiness that it won me over. And those guitars! Be still my beating heart! Ridge & Furrow effortlessly picks up where Oak, Ash & Thorn left off, and it’s a joy from start to finish. Same absurdly fun hooks, same guitar heroics, same charm. The band walks the line between charming and twee effortlessly, and if songs like “Skylark” and “The Golden Acre” don’t put a goofy grin on your face you may need to check your pulse. If more olde personne metal^TM were this good, I’d be a convert. –Doom et Al

Xenobiotic // Hate Monolith – Mordrake was the first 4.5 I ever gave. Hate Monolith demonstrates this was not a fluke. 5 tracks of blistering Fallujah-style deathcore batter and bruise with a cavalcade of riffs like gunfire. Though not quite as diverse as the Mordrake tracklist, the energy here is higher and wilder, a rabid thrashing beast that enters with a violent crash and barely slows down until the very end. But the emotional core of almost theatrical despair remains, as the most memorable breakdown repeatedly bellows: I’m looking at a future, of a world that no one loves. Viciousness balanced with wretchedness and executed with technical perfection, the drums deserving particular mention for a fierce performance, Hate Monolith continues the trail of destruction left in Xenobiotic’s wake. – GardensTale