Short, sweet, and straightforward, this little split does exactly what a split album is intended to do. It entertains and showcases the differences between the two bands and flows as single release, while still leaving plenty to be desired so that the listener seeks out info on both the bands.
eyeswithoutaface do the post-industrial thing very well, showing a lot of Godflesh worship and influence, but also standing very firmly on their own as a doomy, sludgy powerhouse. Even more interestingly, they seem to take influence from modern day bass music, and have their ear to the ground in multiple scenes.
All of their originals make awesome use of layers, production and guitar work. Their cover of "Skates" by alt-folk singer Hayden is an interesting take on the original, and though there are moments that feel a bit forced — such as their inclusion of a dark rendition of the "Rock-a-Bye Baby" lullaby on one track —overall, they do a good job of conveying a mood with their music.
On the flip side, IRN sound awesomely doomy and aggressive, covering favourite doom-fan tracks "Combat Swine," which is just a clever name for Black Sabbath's "War Pigs," and an equally cult modern classic, "Vinum Sabbathi" by Electric Wizard. This only leaves one original track by them on the record, "Pestilent Ambition," from which I gather that their normal sound is gnarlier and grindier than their covers, but it still has the signature groove that makes doom such a powerful genre.
All in all, this split achieves maximum grooviness and catchy, layered angst in a very short amount of time. This teaser should make any listener want to see what both bands have to offer on future full-lengths.
(Independent)eyeswithoutaface do the post-industrial thing very well, showing a lot of Godflesh worship and influence, but also standing very firmly on their own as a doomy, sludgy powerhouse. Even more interestingly, they seem to take influence from modern day bass music, and have their ear to the ground in multiple scenes.
All of their originals make awesome use of layers, production and guitar work. Their cover of "Skates" by alt-folk singer Hayden is an interesting take on the original, and though there are moments that feel a bit forced — such as their inclusion of a dark rendition of the "Rock-a-Bye Baby" lullaby on one track —overall, they do a good job of conveying a mood with their music.
On the flip side, IRN sound awesomely doomy and aggressive, covering favourite doom-fan tracks "Combat Swine," which is just a clever name for Black Sabbath's "War Pigs," and an equally cult modern classic, "Vinum Sabbathi" by Electric Wizard. This only leaves one original track by them on the record, "Pestilent Ambition," from which I gather that their normal sound is gnarlier and grindier than their covers, but it still has the signature groove that makes doom such a powerful genre.
All in all, this split achieves maximum grooviness and catchy, layered angst in a very short amount of time. This teaser should make any listener want to see what both bands have to offer on future full-lengths.
