Sometimes two bands were just made to put out a split, sharing a musical kinship that makes them fit together like a glove. Such is the case with the potent split LP from Sweden’s, still relatively fresh faced, In the Hearts of Emperors and Russian atmospheric sludge band Reka. Each side of this slab of wax has something interesting to say, although in a short space of time allotted.
In the Hearts of Emperors made their presence felt last year with their debut release in the form of a split LP with the mighty Downfall of Gaia. Despite being an impressive release, they were kind of (and unsurprisingly in many regards) overshadowed by Downfall of Gaia. That said, their ambitious, but equally downtrodden and melancholic, sludgy doomed out hardcore was a sound to behold as it hinted to possible wonders to come.
Towers of guitars loom overhead while discordant screeched vocals swoon in and out at various intervals for In the Hearts of Emperors’ three submissions for that split, with intriguing spoken word passages in between, damning the state of humanity, society and the world as a whole. It’s a theme that appears to be the focal point of this band, as it’s shown in spades here. A three part tale entitled Dreams of Hope and Loneliness opens with a similar vibe that we closed on last time. When the wash of heavy guitars come thundering in, the atmosphere is altogether jarring and really grabs the listener by the throat.
The band tread a line between the brooding and outwardly aggressive. One moment they’ll be trekking through heaving sludgy riffs that move at a gingerly pace only for the possessed vocals to forcefully drag the air into even more harrowing realms. This is totally combated by part II though, a lush melodic instrumental to begin that recalls Parhelia, albeit loosely, which soon seeps into another spoken word sample, complemented by barren acoustic guitars, to close part III. This is a band that needs to get a full-length out pronto; they’re clearly itching to unleash something truly majestic.
Reka, on the other hand, do their thing with little fault. The Russians offer up two new songs of atmospheric sludge in Legacy and Apostasy. The former explodes with a crushing riff that’s somewhere between Neurosis’ Times of Grace and Daturah’s Reverie, making for an imposing introduction. Glistening lead guitars take centre stage and then are met by a crunchy, almost dirty, bass guitar undergrowth, really highlighting the strong dichotomy that Reka can summon. The slightly shorter Apostasy certainly proves this, where the band’s radiant and warm guitars really shine brightest.
This split is a definite triumph for both bands. The LP is available from Moment of Collapse and Alerta Antifascista.
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