Labels: Dry Cough Records/Heavenly Vault
Formats: Vinyl/Digital
Release Date: 15 July 2019
Tracklist:
1. Moloch - Thy Grief II
2. Groak - Quiet Graft
2019 has been a very good year in heavy music terms and while it's impossible to catch everything that's released, I'm going to try and bring you more over the coming weeks. This split featuring Nottingham's Moloch and Groak from Leeds was released in mid-July via Dry Cough Records (UK) and relative newcomers Heavenly Vault (Germany). Bringing together two of the UK's best underground bands is only going to end one way...
When I first dug deeper below the surface and made the descent from mainstream metal to the underground, hardcore was my first stop. From there I found the crunching, slow riffs of sludge to be a welcoming escape from the faster tempos. At first it was Church Of Fuck (R.I.P) mixing the two genres with their releases and then Dry Cough Records grabbing the torch with both hands, thrusting ever slower and lower bands into my ears. This split, which is one of their latest releases, is no different.
Moloch will not be a surprise to anybody (at least, they shouldn’t be). Their recent 7” “Love Songs” was the quartet at their best and here on Thy Grief II, there’s no dip in the quality of the sludge/doom that they provide. They sound a little more stripped-back here but they’re still a force to be reckoned with. You just have to listen to the powerful riffs and rumbling bass, the crashing cymbals and those vocals to know that they can’t be doubted anymore.
Groak have always had their foot in both fast and slow camps. Here they begin Quiet Graft in frightening fashion with dual vocals, screeching feedback and instrumentation delivered at a tempo that’s as slow as they’ve probably ever gone (maybe!). It doesn’t end their though. Their own, gritty brand of Yorkshire sludge is glorious in a twisted way and it just goes to show the breath of talent that the UK’s scene (I hate to use the term) has. Consistency is a hard thing for a lot of bands to muster, but Groak are already producing the goods.
If you’re from the UK you’ll no doubt be familiar with both bands and heck, if you’re from overseas, the chances are you’ll have come across them too. If not, this split may be a starter for ten. Two blisteringly heavy songs from two of our best. That reminds me, there are some gaps in my sludge collection that need filling!
Stream and purchase the full split digitally and on vinyl from Dry Cough Records below:-
European fans can buy the split in both formats from Heavenly Vault Records here -
Dry Cough Records - https://www.facebook.com/DryCoughRecords/
Heavenly Vault - http://www.heavenlyvault.de/News_.html
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