DISKORD / ATVM Bipolarities SPLIT DIGIPAK [CD]

Norwegian band Diskord show us why they're masters when it comes to this kind of twisted, convoluted, and quite frankly timeless death metal. They're inexorably pushing their sound forward in their own way and even after a couple of decades of existence, they manage to keep their music refreshing and unpredictable. The four new songs that are a part of this split are even more erratic and out-of-the-box. Indeed, there are about a hundred variations in them but how each of the songs progress will still leave you guessing. It's just ingenious songwriting that reaches out and grabs your attention despite the unnatural complexity and compels you to listen to the songs again and again to fully wrap your head around them. They're an absolute delight for any fan of progressive, technical or even dissonant death metal, regardless of his old school or contemporary stylistic inclination.

UK progressive death trailblazers Atvm left an indelible mark with their groundbreaking full length and they return with some of their longest and best songs for this special split release. The music may not be as technical as that of their label mates on this split but it's every bit as engrossing and they even throw some nasty curveballs of their own - the longish playing time only allows them to shape-shift multiple times with ease and they do that with conviction. There's an inherent sickness to their music and their progression feels visceral. They have their own way of doing things and it's definitely a thrill to follow the sinuous patterns and eccentricities that they throw along the way. These songs are yet another testament to the raw talent of this relative newcomer and their pairing with Diskord on this split only brings out the quirky appeal of their music some more.

For fans of - Demilich, Defect Designer, Xenosis, Disharmonic Orchestra, Carcass, The Chasm