Split CD’s are a personal bane of mine, as just as I am getting into a band, it switches to a different band which is generally a worse band, as it’s one band eeking off another’s fame. This here is not the case and I am pleasantly surprised. By no means are both bands perfect, but both are pretty good, so for once, a Split EP didn’t ruin my listening pleasure.
To Start with, Birch Mountain. This is a band who reminds me heavily of the prog infused Mastodon with heavier vocals. This is a very good thing as I love Mastodon. It swaps between some brutal riffs which you can headbang to, to some slower more technically complex passages which send the mind reeling, and the two intertwine perfectly.
However, the bad aspect is that they do sound to much like Mastodon, and you sometimes feel that whilst listening to the band, that you could be listening to Mastodon and be getting a slightly better listening experience. This doesn’t occur often, but when it does it becomes a niggle in the back of the mind. Now this isn’t to slate the band, as I thoroughly enjoy their offering, but I just think a little more variation could do the band good.
Now onto Malfeitor, who offer a more traditional death Metal approach to their music. They offer a lot more of the brutal headbanging riffs and crushingly heavy lines. It seemed like a natural progression from the first band Birch mountain which I thoroughly enjoyed, as it’s rare for split EP’s to follow so naturally, which whether that is the person at HellThrasher productions doing a bloody good job, or just pure luck, is off no consequence, it works and that’s all that matters.
My only niggle on Malfeitor is that they sound a little too generic and don’t stand out enough for me unfortunately.
Overall this is a good Split, and the best Split I’ve heard in a long time.
7/10
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