This split brings two up and coming old school death metal bands together courtesy of Hellthrasher Productions. Desolator and Resurgency are both in their early stages and have yet to release full-lengths. Both bands play old school death metal but it is evident that they aren't just carbon copies of one another. This split is a superb testament to the fact that the old school is still alive and kicking. Clocking in at just over thirty minutes this gives the audience just enough of a taste to have them eagerly awaiting more.
First up is Resurgency, from Athens, Greece. Their side consists of the four tracks from their debut demo Dark Revival. Influences from bands like Resurrection, Morbid Angel, and Malevolent Creation can be spotted upon first listen. While these influences may be easy to spot at times Resurgency still have a few little quirks that set them apart from the pack. These guys cater a bit more to the catchy side of things as opposed to the band joining them on this album. Riffs featured on tracks like "Psychosis" give the vibe that an impending doom is about to be thrust down upon you. During Resurgency's four tracks there are a few solos thrown into the mix. These prove to be simple but effective to say the least. The bass is pretty dominant here, creating a decent balance between a chunky and thin sound. The production here also seems to be a tad cleaner than Desolator's.
Next up is Desolator hailing from Sweden. Their end of the split completely consists of new material, and it's great to hear that these guys have improved since Gravefeast. Their section starts off with a spoken word intro that is sort of reminscent of something you would hear on Embalmed Existence. Definitely a sinister way to kick off the slab of death metal that is about to tear you to pieces. Right when "Mass Human Pyre" kicks off this much becomes evident, Desolator are in top form and have really locked in their sound. Armed with the filthy Swedish guitar tone and riffs that will never leave your memory these guys certainly brought their A game. Everything Desolator puts out has this ancient atmosphere going for it, and it just simply works. All the way down to the killer bass section in "Feeding Frenzy" these guys show their solid songwriting ability from start to finish.
Overall this split is everything one would want it to be. Old school death metal done right, no frills, just an all around memorable effort from both bands. Going into this split I had high expectations for the Desolator side. Those expectations were met and then some. Gravefeast was one of the best demos of 2010 without a doubt and hearing a follow-up just as strong is promising. This also put Resurgency on my radar and has me kicking myself for not checking out their material sooner. Keep an eye out for both of these bands because they certainly have the potential to put out some excellent material in the near future. Fans of death metal should make this a mandatory listen.
