Mortiferum/Hyperdontia - Split 7"

Labels: Carbonized Records/Me Saco Un Ojo Records

Formats: Vinyl/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 07 Dec 2020

Tracklist:

1. Mortiferum - Abhorrent Genesis

2. Hyperdontia - Punctured Soul

This split 7" was one of most heavily talked about splits of the closing months of 2020, not least because it contained a song each from US death/doom band Mortiferum and Turkish/Danish death metal band Hyperdontia. It was released early December via both rising US label Carbonized Records and ever-growing UK label Me Saco Un Ojo Records. Both bands are helping to lead the charge of old-school death/doom metal from the last decade and into this one. 

Please excuse me for switching the bands around in the title. I always put the opening band at the start, irrespective of where the first letter of their name appears in the alphabet. Mortiferum’s take of death/doom here, ‘Abhorrent Genesis’, is a gloomy and dank take on the sub-genre with low growls, guitar/bass that sit very deep in the recording at times and percussion that takes the lead. It’s a hellish image that’s created here but one that’s not without it’s charm. Definitely leaning further towards the old-school.

Hyperdontia’s side of this split also presents a gloomy outlook, but with a bigger slice of groove. They are more technical and ‘Punctured Soul’ contains many tempo-changes and more pronouced melody, whereas Mortiferum ploughs a much deeper furrow. There’s a sort of controlled-chaos element to the instrumentation here, especially when the drums and guitars up the pace. The vocals again are low growls but are much more dominant within the mix. 

This is a filthy split release that single-handedly reflects the harsh slog that was 2020. Both Mortiferum and Hyperdontia very much have their own sounds and they deliver death/doom that’s as dark and terrifying as you’d expect. 

You can stream the respective tracks below via both Mortiferum's and Hyperdontia's bandcamp pages:-

Mortiferum - https://www.instagram.com/mortiferum.official/

Hyperdontia - https://www.facebook.com/hyperdontia

Tape copies of the split can be purchased from Carbonized Records here - https://carbonizedrecords.bandcamp.com/merch

Carbonized Records - https://www.facebook.com/carbonizedrecords

Me Saco Un Ojo Records - https://www.facebook.com/mesacounojo

Scenes We Have Missed - State Of Dreaming

Labels: Self-Released

Formats: Digital

Release Date: 18 Apr 2019

Tracklist:

1. Frames

2. L'appel Du Vide

3. Broken Shell

4. Pretend

5. Dead Men Walking

6. Modern Times

This is another first for me (I think), as melodic hardcore quintet Scenes We Have Missed is the first band I've featured from Turkey, that I can remember anyway. Vocalist Tan Basbakkal wrote to me a little while ago asking if I would spend some time listening to the band's latest release "State Of Dreaming" and of course, write about it. I'm feeling a lot more able to write on a regular basis now after a few weeks of flux, so this was the first thing I turned to. Scenes We Have Missed recently ventured out to Kharkiv (Ukraine) to play Kharkiv Hardcore Fest, which is awesome because music should cross boundaries and there should be no borders when it come to it.

Oh this is epic! Don’t let the gentle melodies fool you, Scenes We Have Missed performs really emotive and cinematic hardcore and opening song Frames is the best introduction to it. They’ve only been releasing music for eighteen months or so but everything about this seems to be really assured. L’appel Du Vide is mix of both Western music and Eastern influences/instrumentation. It’s wholly instrumental and it threatens to break into something heavy but teases you instead with semi-acoustic guitar and soothing soundscapes.

It seemed for a while that melodic hardcore was becoming a very staid sub-genre with a lot of bands sounding very much alike. Thankfully, it’s not the case here as there’s a genuine approach from SWHM to make their music unique and interesting, which is highlighted on Broken Shell. The recording/mixing/mastering is also really good, allowing for a fuller sounding release. Experimentation and progression are both key features of “State Of Dreaming” and the off-kilter vibes of Pretend wash over you effortlessly. Once again, its a big-sounding song with post-metal/post-hardcore textures. This must be mesmeric in a live setting.

I love getting lost in music and I’m well and truly lost in this. Penultimate song Dead Men Walking just flows brilliantly and while it’s tempo isn’t what you’d call fast, it doesn’t need to be to show it’s chops. There’s subtlety and maturity throughout and it flows straight into Modern Times, which is the record’s longest song. The lengthy instrumental build-up (that’s now customary with SWHM) is present and correct, as is the heartfelt vocal delivery. This is a really engaging release and one that deserves mush wider attention. Scenes We Have Missed proves why you should give a damn about new and independent bands/artists. Beautiful.

You can stream "State Of Dreaming" and download for a mere 1 Euro below:-

Scenes We Have Missed - https://www.facebook.com/sceneswehavemissed

Scenes We Have Missed CD's can be ordered via Mevzu Records (though they have sold out of "State Of Dreaming" CD's) - http://mevzurecords.com.

Mevzu Records - https://www.facebook.com/pg/mevzurecords/