Diskord/Atvm - Bipolarities Split

 Labels: Transcending Obscurity Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 12 Jul 2024

Tracklist:

1. Diskord - Onward! To Nowhere

2. Diskord - Pass The Baton

3. Diskord - Shivering, As We Shed Our Hides

4. Diskord - Cogged Pother

5. Atvm - Cancer

6. Atvm - Morphine

This mega split featuring Norwegian band Diskord and Atvm from the UK was released earlier this year by Transcending Obscurity Records. Gathering two of the most visual and technically endearing death metal bands in Europe right now for a joint release was a stroke of genius. 

Diskord date back to 1999 and have three full-lengths to their name (as well as a few demos, EPs and splits, including this one). Atvm's life started in 2012 (with a demo, two EPs and an earlier split) and you may have already seen them appear on the blog when I reviewed their 2021 full-length Famine, Putrid And Fucking Endless. Now excuse me for a sec while I stare at that artwork!

Diskord have always been one of those bands with excellent artwork, that more than matches their dissonant/progressive take on death metal. Their side on Bipolarities is made up of four incredibly technical yet brief songs starting with ‘Onward! To Nowhere’, which definitely shows off their Atheist/Voivod influences. It’s so good and it’s only the beginning! 

‘Pass The Baton’ is much more dissonant and chuggy at first, before the off-kilter time signatures, jazz-infused bass/percussive elements and psych-infused guitar melodies truly kick in. I’m pretty sure that’s an overly futile effort at describing their sound but I’m not changing it now. I don’t have time anyway as ‘Shivering, As We Shed Our Hides’ quickly takes over the speakers. It’s filled with utterly belligerent drumming that adds to the already insane musicality Diskord possesses.

Diskord’s final song on this split is where they truly save the best (weirdest?) till last. ‘Cogged Pother’ goes in all different directions all the time, even when you think it’s about to settle into a groove. There’s absolutely no point in second guessing how it’s gonna go. Absolutely stunning. Atvm go long with their two songs, starting with ‘Cancer’. It’s on a par in every way with Diskord’s contributions, but with added grit and snarl. I guess you could say it’s dirtier in tone but it is UK death metal after all. Atvm’s progressive song-writing comes to the fore here and gets weirder the longer it goes on. 

Atvm’s second and final song ‘Morphine’ continues down the same path albeit a longer one, full of twists and turns. The slightly repetitive nature of the song up to it’s five-minute mark is somewhat comforting before Atvm once again dial up the proggy instrumentation. Things get no easier from here on out, though a brief moment of introspective guitar clears the mind before it gets musically battered again. 

The closing moments of ‘Morphine’ are filled with excellently played jazz/blues guitar/percussion that sandwiches disgustingly brutal death metal. As I’ve already said, the beauty that exists within the chords and bars of this split are astounding. You really need to hear it to believe it. Diskord and Atvm put on a great display, showing that death metal (and it’s many sub-genres) is in safe hands.

You can stream and purchase this split on all formats from Diskord (via Transcending Obscurity Records below:-

You can also get copies from Atvm here - https://atvm.bandcamp.com/music

Diskord - https://www.facebook.com/DiskordNorway

Atvm - https://www.facebook.com/AtvmOfficial

Transcending Obscurity Records - https://www.facebook.com/transcendingobscurityrecords

Atvm - Famine, Putrid And Fucking Endless

Labels: Self-Released/Dry Cough Records

Formats: Digital/Tape/CDr/Vinyl

Release Date: 28 Apr 2021

Tracklist:

1. Sanguinary Floating Orb

2. Ⲁⲛⲋ-ⲟⲩ Ⲙⲁⲧⲟⲩ

3. They Crawl

4. वाघनख [Vagh Nakh]

5. Squeal In Torment

6. Picture Of Decay

7. Slud

8. Finisher Of The World

It was the 10th anniversary of UK label Dry Cough Records last week. A label known for some of the best extreme doom/sludge/death metal from both the UK and abroad. The reason I mention this occasion is because it was Dry Cough that introduced me to UK progressive death metal band Atvm, through the 2022 double vinyl release of Famine, Putrid and Fucking Endless. The album had already been released by the band on tape and CDr formats a year prior, but the striking artwork that adorned the record drew me in when I first saw it. The complementing red and green LP's sealed the deal. According to Metal Archives, Atvm now makes up part of the UK roster of bands over at Transcending Obscurity Records (including Abaddon Incarnate, As The World Dies, De Profundis, Deus Vermin, The Drowning and Warcrab amongst others!).

Mid-week feels like the perfect time to dive into some progressive/slightly avant-garde old-school death metal. From the bluesy/jazzy intro of opener ‘Sanguinary Floating Orb’, you’re greeted with proper NWOBHM-style guitar, which culminates in intricate riffs. Alongside that there’s off-kilter yet bouncing percussion, growls that vary from deep to higher-pitched wails and instrumental passages filled with an abundance of musical prowess. We’re only on the first song too!

Despite Atvm’s old-school leanings, they do a great job of sounding modern (without it being forced of cheesy) and ‘Ⲁⲛⲋ-ⲟⲩ Ⲙⲁⲧⲟⲩ’ proves that with it’s melodic riffs, which could give the likes of The Black Dahlia Murder and Trivium a run for their money. This album grabs you in the right way and doesn’t let go. It’s infectious (just like the aforementioned comparisons). 

The songs are lengthy enough to get your teeth into. No pointless ambient interludes are needed as Atvm blast from one rip-roaring number to the next. ‘They Crawl’ is filled with urgency and chainsaw-like riffs, sitting at the lower end of Atvm’s spectrum. It all sounds a lot more furious and thrash-like, which is fine with me! ‘’वाघनख [Vagh Nakh]’ sees the thrash influence grow even further as it follows on from ‘They Crawl’ seemingly without a pause to speak of. This is such an infectious release, as if my previous ramblings haven’t already made that clear enough! Just when you think it’s coming to an end at the six-minute mark, things roar immediately back into life once again, closing the album’s first half out perfectly. 

The album’s second half is even more baffling in it’s directional moves, from the dank/gruesome old-school blueprint to the multi-faceted, multi-genre approach that Atvm takes on ‘Squeal In Torment’. I’m beginning to regret reviewing this record on such a warm evening. Thankfully the progressive/blues-laden mid section makes up for the over-excited armchair headbanging that’s going on right now, let alone the final-third’s majesty. That majestic vibe is quickly banished by the record’s fastest and heaviest song ‘Picture Of Decay’. Delivering Atvm’s sound at it’s most authentically old-school. Bands like Atheist and Cynic would be proud of the steps taken here to enhance a sub-genre that’s often seen as being too br00tal. Spurious claims (from myself) aside, it’s utterly brilliant from beginning to end. 

Penultimate song ’Slud’ is yet another bewildering slab of prog/tech/OS death metal that’s clearly been sent to discombobulate you as a listener. It twists and turns, pulling and pushing you in different directions. The infectious musicianship that’s been present throughout grows with each and every bar here, before the tempo slows to a gnarly doom-like crawl, reminiscent of Dry Cough’s early releases (Sea Bastard, Open Tomb, Ommadon et al) and draws to a close with a stupendous drum solo.

What’s a little curious is that the LP’s final song ‘Finisher Of The World’ isn’t available to listen to as part of the full album Bandcamp stream from either Dry Cough or Atvm themselves, so if you don’t own the LP pressing you’ll have to stream it as a standalone song via Atvm’s Bandcamp page. That’s no real hardship though. ‘Finisher Of The World’ itself borrows from the uptempo delivery of ‘Slud’, compressing everything into less than four minutes of utter death metal madness. 

At the time of writing the double LP pressing from Dry Cough Records is still available to purchase, so it’s definitely worth hitting buy on if you haven’t already. If (like me) it’s the first release you’ve discovered by Atvm, you won’t be disappointed. I can’t wait for more from them in the future.

You can stream and digitally purchase the album, and also stream 'Finisher Of The World' from Atvm below:-

Vinyl copies are still available from Dry Cough Records here - https://www.drycoughrecords.com/product/atvm-famine-putrid-and-fucking-endless-2lp-dc61

Atvm - https://www.facebook.com/AtvmOfficial

Dry Cough Records - https://www.facebook.com/DryCoughRecords