Written by:	RaduP, musclassia, nikarg, F3ynman, Starvynth, AndyMetalFreak
Published:	January 19, 2025

We regularly review full lengths, collaborations, sometimes even live albums. EPs and demos often get love in our Clandestine Cuts series. Heck, we even review a bunch of stuff that isn't metal. But when was the last time you saw a review of a split album? Exactly! We are here to make up for that!

Covering the splits that were released in the second half of 2024. Take a listen to some artists putting out a record together without necessarily collaborating. The annoyance of having two or three Bandcamp streams, often with just one of the sides is worth the effort.

SH/HS 2024 Part 1
SH/HS 2023 Part 2
SH/HS 2023 Part 1

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Bipolarities is a split for those who love dissonance, acid, and free form music. Diskord is a well established band that is known for throwing any sense of melody, coherence, and order out of the window, with songs that are wonky, weird, complex, and suffering from AD/HD. The four tracks offered by the Norwegians are specimens of chaotic and experimental death metal that relies on changing course every few seconds, making it a challenge for any listener to follow what is going on. Atvm, on the other hand, take a more progressive route, with the two songs offered being much longer and more adventurous, while the ideas seem to last longer than two seconds each. The band has shifted toward a more avant-garde and bonkers way of songwriting compared to their debut album, but they can still come up with engaging riffs and passages, and even throw some cool Latin jazz halfway into “Morphine”, making it the more enjoyable song on this split.

Bandcamp: Diskord (full)

by nikarg





The Long Forever is a split, a full album and a collaborative release all in one, and one of the standout releases in a generally unspectacular year for stoner metal. Sweden’s Lowrider and the UK’s Elephant Tree each reannounce themselves to the world 4 years after their impressive previous albums, respectively Refractions and Habits. The following years have been eventful, particularly for Elephant Tree’s singer/guitarist Jack Townley, who was placed in an induced coma in 2023 following a biking accident; The Long Forever is named after this period of time. Each band takes up approximately half the split’s length, but each guests on one of the other’s songs (“Through The Rift” and “Long Forever”). Lowrider bring warm, fuzzy groove and lush psychedelia on their tracks, especially the remarkable 10-minute cut “Caldera”, while Elephant Tree’s more eerie, twisted and stomping sound comes through on “Fucked In The Head” and “4 For 2”; the collaboration songs do each lean more towards the primary artist on each of them, but hints of the other band do seep through as well.

Bandcamp: Lowrider (full)

by musclassia





Desert Records’ Legends Of The Desert series originated in 2020; intended to depict a soundtrack to the ‘New Wild West’ that brings a modern perspective to antiquated mythos of the old West, the series was originally planned to span seven volumes over two years. Given that Legends Of The Desert: Volume 4 is arriving 4 years later, that original schedule seems to have been shelved, but it’s better to work patiently towards good releases rather than rush sub-standard ones. On this edition, Salt Lake City duo Eagle Twin and The Otolith come together for a doomy volume. The former offer up some tasty sludgy riffs rendered with thick distortion; at times it reminds me of slower High On Fire, but I must admit that some of Gentry Densley’s odder vocal approaches don’t quite click for me. In contrast, The Otolith continue to demonstrate themselves as a worthy successor to SubRosa with a pair of long-form songs that deftly balance the thick sludge doom instrumentation with the multifaceted violin arrangements. This time around, the violin duo of Kim Cordray and Sarah Pendleton are joined on the vocal front by guitarist Levi Hanna’s gruff roars, which offer a nice contrast to their more dulcet tones.

Bandcamp: Label (full)

by musclassia





Jade and Sanctuarium are both fairly new death metal bands, focussing on the doomy side of death metal, but with a different approach between them. Jade build upon their extremely promising debut full-length from 2022, The Pacification Of Death, and on this split they present three songs that are dark, unsettling, emotionally intense, and very atmospheric. The Spaniards know how to create tension, how to make the listener immerse, and how to pummel with blasting aggression. The mix of harsh and clean vocals, the memorable riffs, the changes in mood and pace, and the exceptional songwriting all make Jade one of the most talented, interesting, and original-sounding death metal bands of the latest years. The other side of The Sempiternal Wound split is taken by Sanctuarium, who also released a full-length in 2024. Hailing from Spain, too, Sanctuarium are more doomy, more cavernous, and more filthy than Jade. The indiscernible vocals are so deep and are heard so far in the distance that it feels as if they originate from the earth’s core. This kind of death metal is swampy and uncompromising, slow and decomposing, heartlessly suffocating and immensely heavy. By the time these guys are finished, you feel as if you have been crushed by a giant boulder. For fans of doomy and atmospheric death metal, The Sempiternal Wound must be the best split of the year, and, as a bonus, it comes with a spectacular cover art.

Bandcamp: Label (full)

by nikarg





This spectral union comprises efforts from two Finnish black metal bands, both of whom also released standalone albums in 2024. Aethyrick released their fifth full album just a month prior to the release of A Union Of Spectres, but the three featured songs were actually drawn from 2022 EP The Seventh. This trio of tracks show off the band’s sound to a tee: raw, but not too much so, and with melody both subtle and more explicit, particularly with the warm synths and lush tremolo melodies in the closing minutes of “The Roads Walked Alone”. Marras are a tad newer, with 2024’s Endtime Sermon but their second album; however, their contributions to this split are all new. “Wanderer Of Time” is very classic-sounding, an onslaught of frozen tremolo riffs with eerie Emperor-style keyboards, but there’s also multiple fantastical detours where the metal takes the back seat for scene-setting synths, a habit sustained over the remainder of their songs.

Bandcamp: Aethyrick (full) / Marras (full)

by musclassia





You may be excused from assuming that this is a death metal album based on the cover art. I also did. But also even with having the graveyard with all the sprouting undead... plants(?); it does lack that certain grotesquery that's inherent for death metal. Nope, this is a doom metal split, a relatively rare occurrence comparatively. What kind of doom you might ask? Well, it's traditional doom, but also both bands play it just a bit differently. Bottomless' kind is so old that it's almost more of a hard rock / heavy metal sound interplayed with the doom, complete with more mellow bluesy balladry and more melody in the guitars. Witching Altar's side is more what you'd expect from a traditional doom band, with chonkier galloping riffs and and a more ominous tone. Graveyard Thunder's nearly 40 minutes runtime makes it feel like an actual full length record, with each side complementing the other in both similarities and differences.

Bandcamp: Bottomless (full) / Witching Altar (full) / Label (full)

by RaduP





This split see's UK-based death metal heavy weights Memoriam collaborate with one of the latest prospects to rise through the UK's death metal scene, As The World Dies. This is not an unusual or unexpected split however, due to the fact As The World Dies resides in the exact same region of England as Memoriam, and also have the same guitarist on board in their line-up, being death metal veteran Scott Fairfax. Here As The World Dies unleash the first single from their anticipated sophomore expected in late 2025 "Am The One". This is a 5-minute brutal old-school death metal song with a classic heavy crushing sound, devastating chugging rhythms, and epic background symphonies, all of which creates a brooding, hellish atmosphere. This all comes after an unusual soft piano section-based intro. The split also features the new song "Endless Rain (a song for Jim)" by Memoriam. Composed by Scott Fairfax himself, this is an emotional and mostly instrumental just under 6-minute song, one which proves to us Memoriam have more in their tank than just classic OSDM brutality.

YouTube: Endless Rain / I Am The One

by AndyMetalFreak





Are you ready to be Swallowed By Rottenness? Germany's Putridarium and Spain's Trollcave team up on this endeavor to each deliver a song of their finest cavernous doom death. Overall, both take a slow, menacing approach to their sound. But, on closer inspection, they do indeed each have a slightly different take on the genre. Putridarium take a more straightforward and catchy way, providing engaging riffs and classic deep growls. In contrast, the raspy, echoing cries of Trollcave are quite ghoulish, enhancing the claustrophobic atmosphere. The pace of Trollcave’s playing alternates between moments of mid-tempo groove and passages of extremely lethargic droning, accompanied by eerie melodies emanating from the deep. Together with the unnerving cover art, this slimy split is a great listen for enjoyers of doomy death metal.

Bandcamp: Label (full)

by F3ynman





Blood Red Fog and Verge are two well-established black metal bands that share quite a bit in common beyond their origin (Jyväskylä, Central Finland) and their genre. Both bands were founded in 2004, and over the years, several (former) members of one band have also played in the other or contributed as live musicians. It's no surprise, then, that that there had already been close collaboration between the two projects in earlier years, which eventually led to their first split EP in 2010. Because It's Wrong provided a rather comprehensive overview of both bands’ musical output at the time, as each had approximately 35 minutes of playtime to showcase their style. In terms of scope, the new split EP is much more restrained — 14 years later, the runtime has been significantly reduced, or to put it positively: it's more focused. This time, each band contributes just a single track, with Blood Red Fog opening with "Prism Of Darkness". Those familiar with the band won’t be surprised by what they deliver: traditional second-wave midtempo black metal with depressive shrieks and clattering drums, reminiscent of Horna and early Burzum. "Second Mortification" by Verge follows a similar path but has a rockier edge, sounding more varied and accessible than the A-side thanks to its more prominent use of synthesizers and distinctive vocals. All in all, this is a solid little EP - not essential for Finnish black metal, but as a stylish, limited-edition 7” vinyl released by Wolfmond Production, it certainly makes for a nice collector’s piece for fans of either band.

Bandcamp: Label (full)

by Starvynth





Very much at the opposite end of the spectrum to some other splits covered in this issue, Sickrecy / SlothPhantomMoth is a vulgar onslaught of grindcore that pulverizes listeners before rapidly getting out of dodge. SlothPhantomMoth don’t mess around at all, going full blast pretty much immediately and sustaining throughout “Arv Av Hat”; there’s dirgier grind trudges in the following songs, but also the expected surges of all-out violence. Sickrecy’s own brand of aggression is oriented slightly towards death metal riffery in comparison to the opening act, but their two songs are similarly uncompromising, rapid and vicious.

Bandcamp: Sickrecy (full) / SlothPhantomMoth (full)

by musclassia





Both hailing from Italy, Chaos Luciferi and Vëlhtrhaq deliver a two-song split of atmospheric, lofi-fi, raw black metal. With simple, melancholic synth melodies acting as a foundational basis, the soundscape is filled with a murky fog of distorted riffs and echoing, screeching vocals. Both tracks are over 10 minutes long and their overall pace is slow, relying largely on repetitive elements and meandering droning. Despite the natural ruggedness of raw black metal, the mood of the split is surprisingly soothing, leaning into blackgaze territory. Above all, the contrast between harsh tremolo-picking and sweet xylophone-like synth playing is an effective combination to create an atmosphere that is both immersive and keeps the listener's attention throughout the runtime.

Bandcamp: Chaos Luciferi (full) / Vëlhtrhaq (full)

by F3ynman





Portland duo Asphalt and Defiant Body lay down some of the filthiest sludge this year on this end-of-year split. Much of this split’s appeal rests upon the nastiness of the churning guitar tone used to render these trudging grooves, and Asphalt very much appeal to those who want their metal to leave them feeling dirty. There is a brief moment of relatively levity in “El Camino” courtesy of a solo, but the band largely sticks to grim riffing. Defiant Body aren’t much inclined to shake up the boat, as “Absurdity Reigns” is arguably even bleaker and more unpleasant in instrumental tone and pacing than the preceding tracks, but as slow and ponderous as this song is, “Defiled Ethic” exhibits the hardcore influence on sludge with a couple of bursts of blasts amidst the surrounding quagmire.

Bandcamp: Asphalt (full) / Defiant Body (full)

by musclassia





Crowning are no strangers to splits on Zegema Beach Records, but after their effort in 2023 with Eyelet, 2024 saw them go continental, as the Americans were joined by Japan’s Oaktails. The former offer a fun take on post-hardcore/metalcore, with catchy lead guitars floating above the lighter passages and a chunky tone emboldening the heavier parts of “Luxor Surrealism”. Oaktails also broadly fall under post-hardcore, but going perhaps slightly more towards screamo with moments of more frantic intensity, particularly on the janky “Winter Call”; at the same time, though, there’s some pleasant moments of introspection, particularly during a post-rock/metal passage midway in “Dazzling”.

Bandcamp: Label (full)

by musclassia





Stoner and sludge metal are very close neighbours to one another, and the lines between them can tend to blur; this split does a good job of highlighting both the similarities and discrepancies. Two bands from South Atlantic states, Virginia’s Smoke and North Carolina’s Doomsday Profit come together on Olde Magick Records with two different takes on fuzzy doom. Smoke, perhaps aptly, are more of a stoner metal band, with catchy semi-melodic hooks, tasty bluesy guitar leads, and surges of up-tempo rocking, but also slower, dirtier riffs, such as the Down-esque second half of “Scavenger”. In contrast, Doomsday Profit have the thick guitar tone and hairy-chested roars of sludge, but also some more melodic leads and solos, with a notably light and psychedelic detour midway into “I Am Your God”. The contrasts and overlaps between these two acts make them natural companions on this fun LP-length split.

Bandcamp: Smoke only / Doomsday Profit only

by musclassia





Fiadh Productions bring together two black metal bands from Montana, but while there’s presumably a fairly small number of acts in this genre in said state, the two they’ve found here bring rather different flavours to Hollowtop. Galvanist offer a very dynamic and well-rounded take on the genre that incorporates melody, harshness, progressive tendencies, and thicker, sludgy moments, all of which come together swimmingly across the 8 minutes of “Gravity”. After being so won over by Galvanist, it may cause a jolt to be immediately confronted with the cacophonic, janky leads and math rhythms kicking off Ulm’s “Alpine Death Cult”; the jagged dissonance of this song is intended to put listeners on edge, and that weirdness is carried over into “Glandless”, even with some of the slower, heavier sounds introduced in this latter track. There’s so much disparity between the two bands’ styles that it’s very possible that listeners will only find one to enjoy, but it’s worth exploring the entirety of Hollowtop just for the variety, and the sheer quality of “Gravity”.

Bandcamp: Label (full)

by musclassia

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Anything we miss? What were some of your favorite splits of the year so far?