Rabies Caste/Sourvein "Split" 7"
[Dada Drumming]
Who the hell would've expected a formerly all noise label to suddenly drop this whopper of a split EP!? Not me, but fuck it, this is great! Israel's Rabies Caste takes side A with "Timeless" (recorded two years ago), and hot damn if I didn't think I was playing this bruiser at the wrong speed! But nope, it is indeed supposed to be just that crushingly slow and heavy! After a few minutes of pounding, sludgy power chords and distant, tortured shouts, they plow into a quick burst of speed and start churning up the grit a little more with some feedback before reverting to that same gloriously slow pulse that started things off. Where the fuck have these guys been, anyway!? Sourvein follows on side B with a cover of Pentagram's "Forever My Queen", complete with sick distorted vocals lingering just behind a dense wall of fuzzed out guitars, pulsing bass, and straightforward drumming. Then it's on to "Gone... Outro", which is a little slower and darker at first, but does pick up into a more rocked out vibe later on. It's still got that sludgy sort of doom/"stoner rock" edge to it, but without the overtly 70's sounding guitar work of the Pentagram track. The closest this one comes is a serious Black Sabbath tinge to the riffs. Love those vocals, too! Truly menacing. Both bands have damn solid recordings that benefit their styles well, with Sourvein taking a slightly rawer road, and Rabies Caste using a little more of a low-end throb and some added clarity to the mix. The packaging looks really slick as well, with all of the printing done in metallic silver ink on matte black stock, and nice, bold imagery on the covers for each band. No lyrics are included, just credits and recording information, but that's alright, I suppose. Oh, and this fucker's available on tons of different colors of vinyl, so you're damn near guaranteed to score one that looks beautiful (this one's on gray/blue marbled vinyl). I'm not sure how limited this EP is, but it may sell out at some point (it damn sure would were it released by Southern Lord or something), so act sooner than later if you're interested. I'm not that familiar with Sourvein, but this is good stuff, and Rabies Caste definitely needs to make a full return soon! Certainly a nice split, and damn do I admire Dada Drumming's diversity! (7/10)
Running time - 13:00 (approximately), Tracks: 3
[Notable tracks: Timeless, Gone... Outro]
Dada Drumming - http://www.dadadrumming.org

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