Genre : Mathcore, Sasscore, Progressive metal
Released : May 13th, 2022
Label : Been There Scene That
FFO : The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza, The Callous Daoboys, Psyopus, SeeYouSpaceCowboy, Jeromes Dream
"Split.AM" is a collaborative split EP between four different underground acts who all have one thing in common : writing heavy chaotic music within the mathcore and mathcore-adjacent realms.
Despite sharing common musical ground, each project has its own singular identity and brings something very different to the table, making this EP quite the entertaining and diverse patchwork of dissonant mathy music.
Serling (NEW SERLING MAY 27TH) open up the show with their bone-crushing, low-end style of Twilight Zone-themed mathcore, featuring a surprise guest feature from Weston Super Maim vocalist, Seth Detrick, whose participation elevates the gnarly ferociousness of Serling's distinct style even higher. Punishing stuff.
Canadian sasscore underdogs, hopscotchbattlescars waste no time in picking up the pace with their frantic, playful take on the genre that reminds me of those early technical deathcore bands who didn't take themselves too seriously and just made fun of the genre's "brutal" macho stereotypes (think The Irish Front).
Loved the drum work on that first track by the way!
Swedish one-man band Kilpréz brings some of the EP's proggiest and most technical moments as well as a broader stylistical and emotional palette. Darting from mathy breakdowns to evocative shredding and impassioned vocal tirades with the attitude of sasscore, Kilpréz injects "Split.AM" with a more serious tone as well as a wider, more dramatic scale.
Finally, Clifford Hoyt close things off with a bang as they combine sasscore, dissonant metalcore breakdowns with alternative rock riffs and piercing high-pitched screeches that remind me of The Body.
The occasional hisses of cursed radio static and distorted broadcasts in between tracks also give the EP a bit of a conceptual feel and makes everything flow well together, which is a cool added bonus!
As I said, this EP has a lot of variety to it within an overall similar style and musical range and it's also a great way to discover lesser known bands who are actively carving out their own lane.
Definitely check this one out and support the bands involved if all things loud, dissonant, mathy and sassy float your boat!
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