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Rating: In my opinion, splits are ambiguous products; on one hand, there are splits of famous bands, usually gimmicks to make some money and recycle unreleased songs that are as catchy as possible. On the other hand, there are splits from underground bands, real gems for enthusiasts: with a generally modest expense, you can get to know different musical realities and appreciate the characteristics of a band in just a few songs.
This is the case of this unusual triangle (usually, splits feature only two artists, although the trend of these three-way splits is gaining ground) which includes the participation of Vomit Remnants, Carnivorous, and Godless Truth, dated 2005. In short, it's right up the alley of those who love the most authentically underground Death Metal. To anticipate an overall judgment, I’ll just say it's a commendable effort that I recommend to those wanting to expand their knowledge of the genre a bit, but it's negligible for those who already have clear ideas. Let's take a closer look at this extreme metal puzzle.
VOMIT REMNANTS
They are Japanese and have been playing for a decent number of years; in short, they are the veterans of the Split and probably the others have latched onto their name to get known a bit: ironically, they turn out to be the most disappointing (although still sufficient). They open the dance with their "" usual song of blazing Death Metal. To tell the truth, Vomit Remnants might have seized the opportunity to do something vaguely new: indeed, in the various works, Mini CDs and Full-Lengths, they left behind (I want to mention "Supreme Entity" among others), our Metallers from the Land of the Rising Sun had a sound much more similar to New York and Californian Brutal Death, while in the three tracks here presented they draw more from a classical Florida-style Death. There are worse things, the technical level of the songs has truly declined compared to their "solo" works and this, if you don't want to shift towards strictly Raw sounds, represents a severe damage. The guitarists make a decent impression, but they will certainly not be remembered by future generations for their performance on this split: the usual riffing heard at other times saved by their usual Headbanging slowdowns, but quite soporific in the accelerations (it sounds like a joke, but it is so). The drummer seems to have taken massive doses of cannabis and certainly doesn’t excel for daring rhythms; in other words, he alternates a blast beat that brings tears to the eyes (the one that’s in all, and I mean all, Death Metal songs) with the other overused rhythms of the genre resulting in pissing off quite a bit those who remember what he did on the aforementioned "Supreme Entity". The bass can't be heard (obviously, right?) and the singer completes the dumbing down operation with his monotonous and pig-like growl. Rounding off the picture is an obnoxious production that makes the sound resemble the clanging of a 1939 autarkic tractor; I prefer to avoid comments on the mood otherwise I’d end up talking about the mood of 1944 autarkic flour and this review becomes a neorealist film.
In short, either Vomit Remnants didn’t want to do this split and did it for editorial reasons, or before entering the studio they always ate sushi left out of the fridge for two weeks; whatever the case, note in the diary.
Rating: 5
CARNIVOROUS
As I said at the beginning, splits are opportunities to deepen knowledge of some bands and get to know new ones; as for Carnivorous, the latter certainly applies.
Born in San Francisco about four years ago, the three (formerly two plus Drum Machine) have only one demo to their credit ("Increments Of Defecation" from 2003) but can boast having in their Line Up the drummer of their fellow countrymen Severed Savior, a true guarantee in the realm of Brutal Death Metal.
His presence is felt especially in the songwriting, very similar to that of his band of origin but with some added oddities. On a first listen, I immediately thought of the Italians Underhate (unknown but promising), similar in the use of extravagant chords and scales: the riffing is good and decidedly technical but unfortunately in just three songs manages to bore. The cause is the poor attention to slowdowns which ultimately deprives everything of groove; moreover, the drummer, perhaps to feel at home, does the same things he does with Severed Savior without changing an iota and, even worse, forcing the other two to adapt. What comes out? A clone band that, however, lacks a certain amount of technique (although not that much) and the class of the aforementioned ones. Those rare times our guys raise their crest and try to revolt against the despotic drummer (obviously these are all suppositions on my part), their sound resembles that, to be clear, of "Trample The Weak, Hurdle The Dead" by Skinless. An unparalleled flatness interspersed with parts that would even pretend to be mighty. The only elements that make the group barely adequate are the band’s inexperience and a bassist worthy of the name who cares about his reputation. Overall, it's a band with potential and one I would keep an eye on as long as they rid themselves of the weight of their only famous member and do not seek the easiest way to play Death Metal.
Rating: 6
GODLESS TRUTH
They hail from the Czech Republic and in this last year, there has been much talk about them; whether it's the tough but not fanatic Moniker, whether their music is quite powerful, whether they have been ridiculously lucky, Godless Truth are liked (true, Cronos?). Personally, while recognizing them as having good skills, I find them quite annoying, especially the blond guitarist who looks like the bad guy from "Die Hard" and the singer with the cap who reminds me a lot, too much, of the detestable Fred Durst. If we add to this a musical proposal in some ways similar to that of the latest Dying Fetus (a kind of Brutal Punk) you will understand how these guys could endear themselves to me. Yet they make the best impression of the Split, giving a shove to Vomit Remnants and looking down on Carnivorous. Not very technical but not unprepared either, they are only looking for pure power...and they find it. The drumming, technically much inferior to all the genre colleagues, is based on a few blasts, quite predictable use of the double pedal, and some very rare offbeats; however, if you don't stay there to nitpick, you realize that otherwise, it would steal the scene from the guitarists and bassist who instead make an effort to satisfy those wanting to devastate themselves and, a bit less, those who want something minimally thought out. In truth, Godless Truth is instinct, the desire to take a guitar and play chords that hurt (more or less what Thrash bands did in the early eighties, only transposed to 2005). Some love this way of doing things, some hate it and others, like myself, acknowledge they achieve the goal but consider it scarcely artistic. Thanks also to the production, Godless Truth earn the medal of best of the split even though they don’t deserve high scores; impact music, good to keep bimbos away.
Rating: 7.5
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