
Labels: Bad Mood Asso/Bike Punk Salamanca/Bus Stop Press/Crapoulet Records/Longrail Records/Seaside Suicide Records/Self-Released/Smart & Confused/Zegema Beach Records
Formats: Vinyl/CDr/Tape/Digital
Release Date: 04 Apr 2019
Tracklist:
1. Yarostan - Des parkings pour admirer
2. Yarostan - Nous contre nous
3. Yarostan - Effondrement
4. Yarostan - L'inertie du mouvement
5. Yarostan - Commencement
6. Aleska - (Re)commencement
7. Aleska - Indispensables
8. Aleska - Vanite Illusoire
9. Aleska - La Derniere Lueur
10. Aleska - Construire
11. Aleska - Un Enternel Recommencement
12. Aleska - Detruire
14. Aleska - Quand La Lumiere Disparait
For the first time this year I'm jumping back into my ZBR roster review series, due to focusing my attention on 2025 releases where I can. This particular split is a special one, as it combines two albums (Yarostan's Self-Titled debut and Aleska's 2nd album Construire ou detruire). ZBR made a limited run of tapes in April 2019 for this comp, while many of the labels mentioned above helped make vinyl, cdr and additional tape runs for Yarostan's album while Aleska self-released their record on LP and cdr. I'm going to write this review as if I was writing about both albums separately, to try and make things slightly easier.

Yarostan are first with their self-titled album, opening with ‘Des parkings pour admirer’. Ringing feedback leads to semi-melodic post-hardcore that’s rooted in the sound of the early 00’s, to my ears. The instrumentation is lovingly performed and the mix of both harsh, and clean vocals make it more accessible than at first it might appear. Having already reviewed the 2022 album II, as well as being the proud owner of a copy of Cinq (the 2020 five-way split), I’m familiar with the band’s newer recordings but not so much their earlier ones.
‘Nous contre nous’ is a glorious piece that builds with an extended instrumental that takes up almost the entirety of it’s first half before Yarostan’s heaviness takes over for a short while. What’s great about this song is that the heaviness doesn’t detract from it’s atmosphere (it actually adds to it) and the mathcore-esque ending gets the heart rate going.
Sometimes, sitting and just listening to music without trying to dissect it for review purposes is lovely and I’m trying to do it more this year but so far February’s been a slow month for various reasons. Listening to ‘Effondrement’ nearly brings a tear to my eye because it itself sounds so emotive. I’m also reminded that being shackled to a computer all day and then again most evenings doesn’t help either.
Yarostan’s penultimate song ‘L’inertie du mouvement’ brims with both noisy punk attitude and emotion-filled post-hardcore. It’s a song that makes use of their heavier side early on before the second half sees a retreat. Gentler instrumentation from the band is joined by additional brass tones as it reaches it’s conclusion with ambience and French spoken-word.
The grandest song of all on Yarostan’s self-titled album and indeed this split is ‘Commencement’; all twelve+ minutes of it. Aa you’d expect, it’s a slow build but one that’s filled with anticipation. It’s instrumental, moving through different passages of gentler melodic guitar and percussion, to heavier sludge-like riffs and off-kilter time-signatures later on. Again, they use spoken-word elements to dramatic effect. It finishes as it began before segueing into cinematic, yet distorted guitar noise.

The second side belongs to Aleska’s album Construire ou detruire and as if it was meant to be, it opens with ‘(re)commencement’, which acts as an intro and leads into ‘Indispensables’. It’s here that I understand why ZBR chose to put Aleska alongside Yarostan on this split. Their take on post-hardcore is very similar musically but with the addition of much more caustic screams. It’s great. There’s a slightly unnerving edge to ‘Vanite Illusoire’ thanks to it’s earthy heaviness, though that uneasy feeling is soon banished by more excellent musicianship and song-writing craft. It kind of reminds me of the twinkly emo/screamo of UK band Healing Powers.
From what seemed like an urgent demeanour from Aleska, ‘La Derniere Lueur’ changes things with a slower tempo and airwaves filled with precise drumming/guitar work that deserves your full attention. Those harsh vocals take hold later on alongside their more familiar passion and poise. ’Construire’ is as long as the song it follows, just with more of an At The Drive-In influence in places. It’s more mathy than others on the album too. Basically the culmination of this song is just top-tier post-hardcore/metal delivered in a way that sounds pretty retro, which is always fine with me.
Aleska’s urgency is back in spades on ‘Un Eternel Recommencement’, though only for a short time and for greater impact as a result, because as soon as they’ve started they too retreat slightly into a lighter mid-section that’s followed by more off-kilter trickery. Their majestic long-player comes in the form of ‘Detruire’. True to form and just like Yarostan did, Aleska provide a lovely track filled with cinematic melodies all of their own. I’m imagining at this point what it would be like if both bands just did a proper collaborative album together. It would certainly be a spectacle.
After such a journey, album closer ‘Quand la lumiere disparait’ sounds very lo-fi to the ear initially before there’s one last gasp for air from the lungs of Aleska. Joined by subtle blues/jazz tones, it still has a lot of personality as it drags you through a violent end.
Trying to reflect on both albums individually and in terms of this split release without repeating anything I've already said is tough. There's a real affinity between both bands and it shows, especially when both albums sit so well alongside each other. Having spent all my time so far this year listening to new 2025 releases, going back in time a bit doesn't hurt, especially when the music is a flawless as it is here.
You can stream and buy the individual albums on all formats from both bands here:-
Note: Aleska has one copy of the ZBR split tape still available via their bandcamp page.
ZBR also has one other copy available here - https://zegemabeachrecords.bandcamp.com/album/yarostan-aleska-split-2xlp
Yarostan - https://www.facebook.com/yarostanband
Aleska - https://www.facebook.com/Aleskaband
Bad Mood Asso - https://www.facebook.com/assobadmood
Bike Punk Salamanca - https://www.facebook.com/seitanshellbikepunks
Bus Stop Press - http://busstoppress.weebly.com
Crapoulet Records - https://www.facebook.com/Crapouletrecords
Longrail Records - https://www.facebook.com/longrailrecords
Seaside Suicide Records - https://www.facebook.com/seasidesuiciderecords
Smart & Confused - https://www.facebook.com/smartandconfused666
Zegema Beach Records - https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords