Labels: Boslevan Records/Desordre Ordonne/Don't Live Like Me Records/Koepfen/Krimskramz/Mosh Potatoes Records/TRVS Records/Zegema Beach Records/0331 Records
Formats: Vinyl/Digital
Release Date: 22 Aug 2015
Tracklist:
1. Foxmoulder - Tempered III
2. Foxmoulder - Needless/Anxious
3. Foxmoulder - Antrim
4. Foxmoulder - Shame
5. Foxmoulder - Increments
6. Eaglehaslanded - Intro (Nightmares In Suburbia Pt. III)
7. Eaglehaslanded - Заклятые Враги
8. Eaglehaslanded - Mora Samo Da Se Umre
9. Eaglehaslanded - Got A Flower
10. Eaglehaslanded - Tworatz
11. Eaglehaslanded - Grobljanska
12. Eaglehaslanded - 1000 Palms
Oh my how time is passing. It's 1st October already and it's the last day of my holiday (minus the weekend that's coming up). I've spent time outside, socialising with friends and family, sorting out adult stuff and in between all of those things, I've found time to listen to music too. Not written as much as I'd hoped but the sudden progression to Autumn might give me a kick up the backside in that respect.
As has been my aim lately, after every two scheduled reviews comes one tracking the constantly expanding roster of USA/Canadian label Zegema Beach Records (for those who're new to this series), according to their bandcamp release order. Today I'm writing about the 2015 split 12" that featured Canadian band Foxmoulder and Russian band Eaglehaslanded. It features five songs from Foxmoulder and seven from Eaglehaslanded. It was released with three different screen-printed covers; white print on blue cardboard, black print on red cardboard and red print of siege cardboard. The record was pressed on black vinyl, though I'm unsure of the exact number that were released.
Split 12”s have become increasingly more popular with bands over the last few years, probably due to the fact that pressing 7”s have become more expensive (that’s what I’ve heard from band/label friends anyway). That and because the former allows for more songs. Foxmoulder’s side of this one contains five. As with their previous recordings, their screamo is fast, short yet very expansive at the same time. ‘Tempered III’ starts off at a hell of a pace before the tempo and instrumentation slows, giving you a sludge/hardcore-like sound. ‘Needless/Anxious’ is angular, jangly emo-violence/math and it’s ace. Foxmoulder have always been very expressive musically and it shines through here.
On ‘Antrim’, there’s the realisation that Foxmoulder’s approach/formula to their music is really the element of surprise. There are some proper heavy bass-drop/breakdown-like parts within the song, amongst the off-kilter hardcore that makes up it’s backbone. They’re not full-on breakdowns but nestle deeper in the mix subtly. Good stuff. The aptly named ’Shame’ follows instantly and in doing so, retains so much momentum. It goes from fast to almost crawling pace mid-way through before a solid injection of punk and just utter madness. This is definitely amongst Foxmoulder’s best material to date.
Their closing song ‘Increments’ amalgamates all of their energy and song-writing skill, packaging it into what is (for them) a long song. It’s entirely instrumental and it’s atmosphere is undeniable. Post-hardcore with metal influences this time, yet still unmistakably Foxmoulder.
While those songs could work so well on a standalone release, there’s still the small matter of split mates Eaglehaslanded. They’re somewhat more chaotic yet also more experimental too. Their opener ‘Intro (Nightmares In Suburbia Pt. III)’ is filled with electronic music akin to chiptune. ‘Заклятые Враги’ is very much where the chaos comes in, with abrasive emo-violence and high-pitched screams aplenty. It’s the same on ‘Mora Samo Da Se Umre’, which to be frank is utterly mental and it’s slightly more lo-fi sound does nothing to dampen things. They remind of some of the Japanese bands like Tetola93 and Shuly To 104kz, whom I’m sure they’ve been compared to before.
The flowing nature of ‘Got A Flower’ wrestles away some of the intensity, which isn’t necessarily a band thing. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that means it’s easy-listening though, as it still has it’s moments and Eaglehaslanded still want to obliterate through sound. ‘Tworatz’ is another electronic song, except this time it’s also joined by the full band mid-way through. I don’t want to call it shock value, but that’s kind of how it feels and it’s cool!
Their penultimate song ‘Grobljanska’ has a much more serious tone to it. The spoken-word sample at the start is stark and what follows is equal to it. That tone even manages to breakthrough the constant feedback from the guitars, adding to the sense of foreboding that’s not been present up until now. ‘1000 Palms’ closes out the split in very similar fashion to how Foxmoulder closed out their side. The guitar playing and melodies are unexpectedly beautiful and the ambient waves underneath give a totally different perspective to the band’s sound.
For me this is peak split. Both Foxmoulder and Eaglehaslanded still exist and haven’t gone away. Here they both show their best and bring out all kinds of feelings in you as a listener. Now, as the sun comes out around me I feel energised and happy.
You can stream and download the split via both bands here:-
Foxmoulder - https://www.facebook.com/foxmouldertoronto
Eaglehaslanded - https://www.facebook.com/eaglehaslandedsuburbians
Physical copies are still available from the labels below:-
Krimskramz - https://krimskramz.com/produkt/005-foxmoulder-eaglehaslanded-split-12/
Mosh Potatoes Records - https://moshpotatoes.bandcamp.com/album/eaglehaslanded-foxmoulder-split
Zegema Beach Records CAN/INTL - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases/foxmoulder-eaglehaslanded-split-12
Boslevan Records - https://www.facebook.com/BoslevanRecords
Don't Live Like Me Records - https://www.facebook.com/dontlivelikeme
Koepfen - https://www.facebook.com/Koepfen
Krimskramz - https://www.facebook.com/krimskramzstuff
Mosh Potatoes Records - https://www.facebook.com/moshpotatoesxvx
TRVS Records - https://www.facebook.com/trvsrecords
Zegema Beach Records - https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords
