Split albums are the perfect match for this A.D.D. age of multi-media; you can still enjoy the experience of sitting down and listening to a carefully constructed album, but you get to sample more than one band. The split between Godhunter and Destroyer of Light marks not just a one-time collaboration but a longer-term partnership, as the two groups prepare for an East Coast tour together later this summer. While I didn't love every moment of this album, the two groups have a chemistry that works well, and they do a good job capturing the vibe of the apocalyptic and the doom-y.
The record starts off with straight Godhunter, and then switches to Destroyer of Light halfway through, rather than going back and forth every other track as some splits do. One of the best things about this pairing is that the whole album is characterized by themes of end times, featuring song titles like "End Time Blues," "Divided States" and "Valley of the Dead." But while Godhunter have all the elements of a very heavy doom band, they seem to be holding back in some places, not as though they are trying to keep things slow and classic, but as though they are afraid to completely reach inside and wrench out all the hate and anger that they have to offer. That is not to say that the dudes can't play — and all the songs on their half of the split are solid and catchy — but they're lacking energy.
Destroyer of Light, on the other hand, are just what the name suggests: bleak, blackened, borderline-filthy doom that tramples all in its wake with some absolutely relentless tunes. Unfortunately, the split forces a comparison between two bands that might otherwise stand on their own better. It might be easier, for example, to enjoy Godhunter if their half wasn't so easily forgotten after Destroyer of Light's much better work.
Still, this is a fun doom record, and will satisfy heavy doom fans in general.
(Battleground Records)The record starts off with straight Godhunter, and then switches to Destroyer of Light halfway through, rather than going back and forth every other track as some splits do. One of the best things about this pairing is that the whole album is characterized by themes of end times, featuring song titles like "End Time Blues," "Divided States" and "Valley of the Dead." But while Godhunter have all the elements of a very heavy doom band, they seem to be holding back in some places, not as though they are trying to keep things slow and classic, but as though they are afraid to completely reach inside and wrench out all the hate and anger that they have to offer. That is not to say that the dudes can't play — and all the songs on their half of the split are solid and catchy — but they're lacking energy.
Destroyer of Light, on the other hand, are just what the name suggests: bleak, blackened, borderline-filthy doom that tramples all in its wake with some absolutely relentless tunes. Unfortunately, the split forces a comparison between two bands that might otherwise stand on their own better. It might be easier, for example, to enjoy Godhunter if their half wasn't so easily forgotten after Destroyer of Light's much better work.
Still, this is a fun doom record, and will satisfy heavy doom fans in general.
