• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Here's an interesting release (or re-release to be specific) from Hells Headbangers that features a couple of infamous Death Metal bands, Nunslaughter and Gravewürm. I've never been much of a Death Metal fan but part of that is probably not really understanding what the bands are going for, so I found this split a cool "tutorial" if you will. Long-time fans can probably stop reading now as this will be nothing new and since this release is originally from 2007 they will probably be familiar with it already, but those "on the outside looking in" like me may find this educational.

Nunslaughter plays a thrashy Death Metal with growling vocals, very much in line with pioneers like Venom, Possessed and Celtic Frost. The original track "The Red Ram" is a malicious speed assault with ripping riffs and hateful vocals. Gravewürm is more of a Black/Death band, a distinction that has been hard for me to pin down, but on "Cult of the Dying God" it all comes together. Down-tuned guitars in a muddy production march with merciless determination to the raspy exhortations of the vocalist like first-wave Black Metal bands such as Evilfeast or Carpathian Forest but without the tremolo riffing. To further illustrate the differences between the two styles, each band covers the other for their second contribution to the split. Gravewürm ramps up the speed and cranks out a great Thrash riff on "Killed by the Cross" while Nunslaughter drops the tempo and brings coldness to the vocals for "On the Icy Plains I Die." Both bands sound great and do a fantastic job with the other's material.

As I said at the outset, if you are tried-and-true Death Metal fan this re-released picture disc split might only be new based on the format. If you're curious about Death and Black/Death music though, I recommend checking this one out.