Wake / Dephosphorus - Split (2012)

Split, 7 Degrees Records
April 22nd, 2012

Genre: Grindcore
Region: Canada / Greece

What we have here is two great grindcore acts coming together for a short but sweet split. If you want to you can hear this streaming at Cvlt Nation in full.

Dephosphorus' side is three tracks which will appear on their upcoming album, following up their phenomenal EP Axiom. After the release of an amazing creation like Axiom it's going to be difficult for them to top themselves — such is curse of coming out of the gate with near perfection — but until Night Sky Transform is released Dephosphorus have decided to tease us with what they lay down here. If it's any indication on what the rest of the album will sound like they may have managed to keep up the quality that Axiom displayed.

They continue to follow their unique formula of combining grindcore, death metal and crusty blackened-hardcore with an astral flavor to birth short (much shorter than Axiom's tracks) and powerful transcendent songs, all three filled with strange yet catchy sharp riffs that blend comfortably with the violent scorching rasps of Panos, and unrelenting hyper-speed drumming. Moments of groovy powerchords help to slow down the pace before taking off into blast beats and swirling shreds; The Cosmologist exemplifies this perfectly. Dephosphorus have shown that they're not satisfied with resting on the success of Axiom. Once again they display their ability to craft furious sounds — well arranged, thoughtfully written and tightly performed with a thick production while managing to retain their signature style. A searing, cacophonous and spacy journey as only they can conceive.

Wake on the other hand I only recently became aware of. I've yet to hear all of their 2011 album Leeches but what I have heard of it was enjoyable; here though it definitely feels like they've stepped up their game. Like Dephosphorus, Wake offer up three tracks of unrestrained and brutal grind.

More traditional than what Dephosphorus present both in terms of style and aesthetic (socio-political as opposed to cosmological) but clearly filled with refined structures and a filthy atmosphere — each track plows through you like an out-of-control freight-liner. Two tracks run slightly longer than two minutes, but not to a detriment. Thirst and Veil of Odin both have tasty, chunky powerchord sessions after long bouts of blistering shred passages. Especially the latter track, it bursts forth violently from the start adding in some tastefully used hammer-ons when in the mid-point we hit a sick set of catchy rhythms and feedback leading to the conclusion of their side. Wake are clearly lurking in the dark of the underground for the moment but it would seem they have the potential to emerge and stand proudly beside the more well known acts of the genre.

All around it's a very solid split, and those of you aching to hear a glimpse of what Dephosphorus have in store for their next outing will want to pick this up; and if you want to hear some Canadian's ripping out some harsh grind alongside them then you can't go wrong with this one. They manage to compliment one another quite well. You can order this from 7 Degrees Records in 7" vinyl format with some nice art accompanying it (and a digital download as well).

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