Saturday 28 April 2012

Grace/Tide Of Iron - Split 7"


This is a 7" record that I picked up recently from Tombs In The Valley Productions. It features two UK bands, Grace and Tide of Iron. The record itself was a three-way label release, between TITV Productions, SuperFi Records and Shy Bairns.

The record came on nice black vinyl, with a sleeve showing tired, disheveled hands.

Tracklist:-

Side A - Grace
1. Alchemist
2. Hammer

Side B - Tide Of Iron
1. Jas Murray Dirty Protest
2. Apple Sauce


Starting off with Grace's side. Alchemist starts with a really cool, slow section of riffs that seem to borrow influence from NOLA sludge and lead into more chugging riffs and harsh, low screams. This is hardcore, but slow evil hardcore. There are some great elements to the song, including some indie influenced guitar that actually adds to the atmosphere of the song. Hammers is a faster song, but with no less creativity and almost impossible to categorise. This is pure, heavy music and Grace's side of the split is over far too quickly.

Tide of Iron follow in the same vein, but with a more punky vibe in Jas Murray Dirty Protest. The riffs though are dirty and the screams are rabid and buried in the mix. As with Grace, Tide Of Iron are hard to categorise. The music is heavy and they make a big sound, which sounds especially good on a turntable. The ringing feedback leads into the bizarrely named Apple Sauce. Again, it's a noisy affair, with the guitars sitting at the top of the mix. As I've already, it's sound is big , but it's also got a chaotic, yet groovy undertone and demands your full attention throughout.

Both bands are different and unique, original and this is their first vinyl output, which is all the more impressive. It's my first introduction to both bands and I'm mightily impressed. This will demand multiple listens for you to really appreciate the quality here, but believe me, it's well worth it!

You can listen to the record on the TITV productions bandcamp page:-


TITV have actually sold out of these, but you can get them from SuperFi Records at http://www.superfirecords.co.uk/ and Shy Bairns at www.shybairns.blogspot.co.uk . You can also pick up copies directly from Tide Of Iron by visiting their blog at http://tideoffuckingiron.blogspot.co.uk/.

Also go and check out Grace at http://www.facebook.com/GraceNCL.

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