The split EP “Scorn Coalescence” collects material from four different bands that for people in the western hemispheres all reside on the other part of the world. Serpents Athirst and Genocide Shrines are both from Sri Lanka, while Trepanation and Heresiarch are based out of New Zealand. The EP was released by Indian label Cyclopean Eye Productions in the summer of 2019.
Tom my ears, the two bands from Sri Lanka are the most impressive among these four. Both of them with similar features. Correspondingly, the bands from New Zealand are less impressive, and they also share certain similar traits. What all of them have in common is that the music is what we used to describe as extreme metal back in ye olden days, and a few decades back I guess all four bands would have been described as death metal. Metal genres have changed since then though, but for my sake I’d say that all of these bands exist somewhere inside a black and death metal context, or somewhere very closely related.
Serpents Athirst contribution ‘Poisoning the Seven’ revolves around alternating slower and pacier sequences, with effective use of impact riffs and elaborate drum patterns for the slower parts and buzzing circulating guitars backed by frantic drums in the pacier sequences. A relatively clean growling vocal style is employed by the singer, and the song as such is captivating and energetic.
Genocide Shrines ‘All and/or Nothing’ alternates between an almost doom metal crawl at the slowest and intense, frantic instrument patterns in the pacefilled sequences, using effective fluctuating guitar riffs with a gnarlier expression, which is also the case for the vocal growls. A nice booming and audible bass is a boon, as are the occasional textures that by plan or accident adds some cosmic vibes to the proceedings.
Trepanation’s ‘B/H/T’ is a somewhat chaotic affair, shifting back and forth between the really slow and more frenetic, the more collected and more chaotic, the impact driven and the over-the-top melodramatic. The latter especially a case for the vocal croaks and screams. An ongoing noise texture also became a detrimental detail for me, and in sum this was merely good rather than great or brilliant.
Heresiarch has the most primitive sounding contribution here, alternating between molasses like slowed down crawls and buzzing, frenetic sprints. The vocals are of the gnarly croaking style, and the music as such is primal, to the point of sounding a lot more primitive than it really is. A lot of energy and aggression, but without those finer details that I feel will lift it’s overall appeal beyond an established niche crowd.
An EP of two sides this one in other words, and where the side from Sri Lanka strikes me as the most impressive rather consistently.
From an old geezer’s point of view, this is an EP that should have it’s main appeal among fans of extreme metal in general, with those who tend to enjoy music categorized as black metal, death metal and similar closely related genres to be the main audience. The bands from Sri Lanka the ones that will interest those with a taste for a more sophisticated take on these types of music, while the New Zealand bands strikes me as being more appealing to those with a firmer interest in music with a more primal orientation.
My rating: 70/100
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Track list:
1. Serpents Athirst – Poisoning the Seven
2. Genocide Shrines – All and/or Nothing
3. Trepanation – B/H/T
4. Heresiarch – Dread Prophecy
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Links:
https://www.facebook.com/serpents.athirst/
https://www.facebook.com/genocideshrines/
https://www.facebook.com/trepanation666/
https://www.facebook.com/heresiarchband/
https://www.facebook.com/cyclopeaneye/
