Here is the question: do you enjoy epic awesome hellbent blackened crust that could burn off the wings of an angel? If the answer is yes, then you must seek out the split between ALPINIST/MASAKARI, coming out via Halo of Flies for North America & Alerta Anitfascista for Europe. I must admit, I’m finding it really hard to keep my excitement from distracting me from this review. Both bands have grown so much in an extreme radical way since their last releases. I also feel that ALPINIST/MASAKARI totally inspired each other to rip shit like never before, basically they amplified everything that makes both of them awesome by 600%. Let’s talk about the ALPINIST side first – they created 7 songs that are just drenched in metallic urgency that will awaken all of your senses. Honestly, this band’s songwriting skills are so tight it makes you wonder how the fuck do they do what they do, because their tunes have so many gnarly ebbs, flows & twists. So imagine this: if Fugazi was genetically modified with the rage & sonic mayhem of Anit-Cimex, His Hero is Gone & Jr.Ewing, the end product would almost be close to how sick ALPINIST are on this split. Take songs like “Unwanted Encore,” fucking fury on steroids; it will punch in your grill with killer beats & snarling guitars for like the first 20 seconds, then these hands of mercy come out of no where to heal your wounds from their audio onslaught! When I hear ALPINIST’s songs, certain words come to mind like “cinematic crust,” because to me their songs are mini movies filled with drama, tension, emotion, tragedy & always these great endings. I get this vibe that the band is on a mission to change how punk is heard & they are doing a damn epic job. Although on songs like “Instrumental,” you can hear that they have a really open mind & are willing to bend sound into something interesting & new, that’s why I will always dig where these humans are coming from.
Next up, the blackened storm riders MASAKARI. I will tell you right here, right now: these dudes do not fuck around on this release, it’s like they woke up every morning while recording this split & ate gun powder for breakfast. They put all of their rabid angry into every second of every song, & even the mellow parts to their songs have a sinister vibe about them that will make your jaws tighten up. Huge drums, sick crusty basslines & nuclear riffs is what you are going to get when you blast “Progress” – wow, this song is so fucking epic. It has a rad quality about it, like it feels like you are in souped-up car that takes off with only speed as it’s master, then gets carjacked by an orchestra conductor. The reason why I say this is because of the intense changes that band will put you through this tune, which makes it a great work out. MASAKARI solos & riffs on this split seem inhuman, with this ultra wild manic quality to them…be careful, because they will get you hyped enough to smash a riot cop in the head. No matter at what stage of fury one of their songs might be, MASAKARI always maintains massive amounts of the blackened melodic groove in their songs. What will always make me admire this band is the way they work their conviction & emotion into every note of music they create. Go see ALPINIST/MASAKARI when they come to your town or city this summer, you will not be disappointed, but you might need a neck brace the next day, you’ll be another victim of bangover! One last thing, it’s sort of weird calling this a split, because in actuality, this record is a mammoth lesson in unity!
[audio:http://staging.cvltnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/05-Unwanted-Encore1.mp3|titles=ALPINIST Unwanted Encore] [audio:http://staging.cvltnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/12-XXIV.-Trapped-in-the-Mold.mp3|titles=MASAKARI Trapped in the Mold]
New Comments