Heavy metal, and its various extreme offshoots, can be a serious game. Searing bouts of rage-filled abrasiveness, disenchantment with society, bleak subject matter, and of course unrelenting aggression are some of the defining attributes that we associate with the backbone of extreme music. And really, we wouldn’t have it any other way, which makes the occasional detour into less serious territory all the more satisfying. Take this killer new Splatterhash split from Cannibas Corpse and Ghoul for instance. These two veteran underground bands join forces for a rollicking split of thrashy, groovy death metal that puts the fun element back into the equation.
Cannibas Corpse are one of the more surprising bands in the death metal realm, gradually moving from strength to strength and reefing down the derivative barriers of their Floridian death metal worship and transcending mere parody status to forge something with far greater depth and substance than many death metal fans would have originally given them credit for. Sure they still wear their influences proudly on their sleeves and the endless weed puns remain in place, but perhaps best reflected through their recent signing to heavyweight label Season of Mist, from a musical standpoint Cannibas Corpse mean serious business. Their gruff, mildly technical, and extremely catchy style of death metal, coupled with tongue in cheek lyricism, makes for a fun, addictive and easily digestible ride.
They step up to the plate for the first two songs on the split, ripping out a pair of gems featuring crisp yet meaty production and a healthy barrage of catchy riffs, ample time changes and thunderous grooves (particular mentions go to the chest pounding kick drums and rumbling bass tones). Both songs are more than worthy additions to the bands discography, forming a salivating prelude for what’s to be expected from their upcoming album. They stick closely to their familiar blueprint, as “The Inhalation Plague” finds the band deftly balancing speedy tempos with rugged aggression and trademark grooves. “Shattering the Bongs” is nearly at level pegging, bringing a doomy mid-section and seriously heavy bass to the table before injecting some thrashy urgency towards its conclusion
Ghoul are the less essential of the two bands but a downright fun and thrashy underground force in their own right. Sharing lineage with like-minded assassins Exhumed and Impaled, as well as Dystopia and Phobia amongst others, Ghoul’s thrashy, gore-drenched death metal is always good for some no-frills headbanging. They contribute two typically solid, groovy offerings, with the excellent and surprisingly lengthy (at 5.06 minutes) “Inner Sanctum” the stand-out. Aside from a rather pointless and drawn-out conclusion, it snarls and rages with cracking energy and no shortage of maniacal vocals and ripping hooks. By contrast “Spill Your Guts” takes a more direct approach, delivering a short and sharp stab to the throat, executed with punkish attitude and hyper-thrash urgency.
This is a fitting pairing for such a release, with just the right amount of contrast between the bands and a similarly minded approach linking both portions of the split cohesively. The two bands crank out quality material, rather than cast-off B-sides, making for a fun and catchy release that is well worth your hard-earned cash.
